Not your average queen

The Queen of Wisconsin’s Farmland

Christine Lindner, the 63rd Alice In Dairyland. Photo courtesy Christine Lindner.

It’s Finale Night. Christine Lindner, wearing a black suit, her blond hair cut in a shoulder-length bob, stands on stage with five other contestants. Her heart is pounding; she can’t think straight. She prepares for the worst. “It’s probably not going to be me,” she tells herself. “I’ll go back to those quieter days.”

A moment later, her name is called. A sash is draped over her shoulder, a tiara placed on her head, and she is whisked away in a media blitz.

By all appearances, the 63^rd annual Alice in Dairyland is a pageant. But in lieu of ball gowns and swimsuits, contestants wear sensible pantsuits and pumps, looking more like management consultants than prom queens.

“It’s not a pageant,” Lindner, 27, says. “It’s really more like a job.”

Alice in Dairyland has come a long way since 1948, when it began as a search for a Wisconsin “dairy princess.” Contestants were trim, fresh-faced and perfectly coiffed, parading before judges in crepe formal wear and taffeta circle skirts. Each year, Alice hosted the Wisconsin Centennial Exposition, served cheese at grocery stores, perched atop parade floats and delivered dairy products to Hollywood celebrities.

Nowadays, however, the contest emphasizes leadership qualities and communication skills over physical appearance. The winner acts as an ambassador for the state’s $59 billion agricultural economy, encouraging consumers to buy local and support Wisconsin farms.

As Alice in Dairyland, Lindner says her goal “is to connect consumers to agriculture and help them understand that food first starts on a Wisconsin Farm.”

“When you’re in a grocery store and you’re looking for something, even if it’s potato chips,” she says, “be looking for a Wisconsin product, because you’re supporting the local producers and local economy.”

It’s a dream come true for Lindner, who grew up idolizing Alice in Dairyland.

“I remember being that 10-year-old girl thinking, ‘wow, I really can connect with her,’” she recalls. “She was in agriculture and I grew up on my family’s farm. I thought, someday, I would love to do that.

During her reign, Lindner tours the state, promoting Wisconsin’s vibrant agriculture industry at events, schools, and festivals and through radio and television appearances.

“When you think about it, agriculture it’s what we eat,” she says. “It’s what we consume everyday for lunch and dinner and breakfast. It’s the clothes we wear.”

As for that sash and tiara?

“I use those as my tools to help garner media attention,” Lindner says. “Otherwise, I would fit in with the crowd.”

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