A South St. Paul woman won the Klondike Kate competition Wednesday night.
It was Shelly Pabst’s third try for the taffeta title ahead of the St. Paul Winter Carnival later this month.
“This is the best feeling ever and I’m so excited for the coming year,” she said after winning the contest held at the enVision Hotel in South St. Paul.
Five women vied for the title.
Competing with Pabst were Vonda Braun of Cottage Grove, Tammy McCanna of St. Louis Park, Susan Barry of Inver Grove Heights and Jennifer Prichard of St. Paul. All were first-time contestants.
The women were judged on musical performance, song choice, vocal abilities, costuming, crowd appeal and “authenticity in portraying the real-life character” Klondike Kate, who charmed miners in the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898.
As Klondike Kate, Pabst can expect to make more than 100 appearances during her yearlong reign — including singing gigs atop floats in summer parades.
The Klondike Kate competition is one of the preludes to the Winter Carnival. The 134th annual civic celebration of wintertime runs from Jan. 23 through Feb. 2.
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