Disbelief sweeps across Peggy Sweeney Junkin’s face as the Klondike Kate 2012 sash is placed over her head Wednesday night at the Prom Center in Oakdale. Junkin, of Inver Grove Heights, was one of eight contestants vying for the Klondike Kate title during the unofficial prelude to the St. Paul Winter Carnival. Active in community theater, Junkin first competed last year in the pageant honoring the famed dance hall girl of the Alaska Gold Rush. To learn more about Kate, go to klondikekates.org. For information about the carnival, which runs Jan. 26-Feb. 5, go to winter-carnival.com.

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