Before she sang her second song at the 2024 Klondike Kate competition, the event’s emcee asked candidate Jody Vander Hart a question.

The Winter Carnival legend character is inspired by a real person — the notorious Gold Rush entertainer Kathleen Rockwell — so, in her spirit, what’s the most notorious thing Vander Hart has ever done?

“A very wise woman in a boa and feathers once told me, a Klondike Kate is all things to all people all the time,” Vander Hart, of Vadnais Heights, told the crowd of about 400. “So I don’t kiss and tell.”

Then, she belted out a rendition of the Aretha Franklin classic “Chain of Fools.”

That song, plus two others and a pre-competition interview process with judges, earned Vander Hart the role of 2024 Klondike Kate, the Winter Carnival’s “mistress of fun, frivolity and good fellowship.”

Eight women competed for the title on Wednesday, Jan. 10 at Inwood Oaks Event Center in Oakdale, the ballroom formerly known as the Prom Center. A new Kate has been chosen almost every year since 1971.

The eight 2024 Klondike Kate contestants sit at their table between rounds during the Klondike Kate Contest at the Mintahoe Catering & Events – Inwood Oaks Event Center in Oakdale on Wednesday Jan. 10, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Two contestants — Vander Hart and crowd favorite Kat Connery, of Robbinsdale — also competed last year, when Maret Bylander was ultimately chosen as the 2023 Kate.

Competition newcomers had the audience grooving, too. Recent Minnesota transplant Kira Sable made the final three, and Ame’ Jo Peach was vying for the title in memory of her late mother, who had also dreamed of becoming Klondike Kate. She got soulful during an impressive first-round performance of “River” by Bishop Briggs.

Rounding out the group of competitors included Janine Renslow of Big Lake, Bonnie Lopez of West St. Paul, Star Grigsby of Highland Park and Ruby Ericson of White Bear Lake.

Jody Vander Hart, from Vadnais Heights, smiles after being sashed as 2024 Klondike Kate during the Klondike Kate Contest at the Mintahoe Catering & Events – Inwood Oaks Event Center in Oakdale on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

Although they’re commonly seen performing in ensembles, Klondike Kates tend to have their own musical stylings. Some lean disco; others polka. One former Kate accompanies her own singing on ukulele. In 2023, Bylander won over judges with burlesque classics. Vander Hart, who stunned with Alicia Keys and Nina Simone covers last year, leans R&B.

Vander Hart has sung in several choral groups, including the Sweet Adelines and Triple Trio, and has been attending Carnival events since she was a child in St. Paul, she said.

Right after Vander Hart was “sashed” as the 2024 Klondike Kate, we caught up with her to ask some questions.

Q: You were on stage last year, too. What was it like competing a second time?

A: There was amazing talent on stage tonight, and it pushed me to do my best when they all did their best. It’s just a lot to take in, and you go back and you learn from what you learn the first time. You make corrections, you do more research. And you just have a great time doing it.

Q: What’s the first time that you remember feeling like Klondike Kate?

A: It was when the sash came over my head! It could’ve gone any way tonight.

Q: What does it mean for you to carry on the legacy of the real Klondike Kate and the generations of past Winter Carnival Kates?

A: It’s an honor to be part of the Winter Carnival and playing a legend character. Kathleen Rockwell was somebody who they said had an indomitable spirit, and I hope to embody that this year.

Q: Do you remember seeing Klondike Kates at the Winter Carnival when you were younger?

A: Absolutely! That was an inspiration. I would look at the ladies on the float and would want to be up there singing with them. Now I will be, and I’m thrilled.

Q: Finally, what are you most looking forward to over the next year as Klondike Kate?

A: I’m looking forward to meeting all these wonderful people that will be part of my life this year and years to come. I’m so excited to be part of this!

The St. Paul Winter Carnival kicks off on Thursday, Jan. 25. More info at wintercarnival.com.

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