This year, people will call Audra Weier by her new title: Klondike Kate.

Her friends have called her something else: the Sass Ambassador.

The 33-year-old Cottage Grove restaurant manager played up her ‘tude during the Jan. 10 competition for the Winter Carnival title. After all, Klondike Kate – modeled after brassy Gold Rush-era dance-hall girl Kathleen Rockwell – is the Carnival’s embodiment of swingin’ good times.

Now that she’s won, Weier has every intention of throwing around her verve and voice to woo and entertain the masses at the Winter Carnival.

Sass “is about being who you want to be,” she said. “It’s about having a little spunk, not being afraid of saying what you want to say.”

The night of her big win, she belted out “Big, Blonde and Beautiful,” “I Don’t Care If the Sun Don’t Shine” and “He’s a Tramp.” She downed a drink with the Kates after the award, was in bed by 3 a.m. and ready for a news interview five hours later.

Whew. But now the real work starts.

Name: Audra Weier

Age: 33

Status: Single

How she got her nickname: She says she’s always been a little sassy. On her first trip to Europe when she was 21, friends told her she’d be a great sass ambassador – “off to spread sass to another part of the world.”

Where she went: England, France and Spain

Sassiest country: Spain. “It’s just the way they hold themselves.” They’re fabulous dressers, she says, and the custom of late-night meals, socializing and siestas appeals to her.

Least-sassy country: France.

Dusty old England is sassier than Paris? “In London, there were lots of music festivals, and everyone was being crazy.”

What she doesn’t like about traveling: Not having a hairdryer, because she doesn’t have an adapter. “You can’t be traveling with bad hair.”

How she compensates: She gets her hair done while overseas. “It’s kind of like a souvenir.” The last time she came back from Italy, her coif sported cherry-red streaks. Minnesota might not have that much sass – “The color is probably not appropriate (for work)” – so she colored the red out of it.

What she thought of high school: “It was kind of a blip. I was there because I had to be there. I marched to the beat of my own drummer.”

Favorite class: Acting

Where she learned to sing: She showed talent as a child, and her mom wanted her to become an opera singer. So she took lessons as a teen and was in choir during school.

A favorite singer: Linda Ronstadt. “She has a strong voice without being trendy.”

Favorite food: Red beans and rice. And cheese. Oh, the cheese. “This body was built for cheese.”

Favorite drink: Appletini.

Why she’ll enjoy being Kate: “When you’re an adult, it’s harder to find an outlet to sing. I just thought it was really great. When I think of royal ambassadors and queens, I have a cookie-cutter image from magazines. But I don’t look like that. Being able to sing and have fun with a bunch of gals, looking like a real woman, I thought, ‘That’s for me.’ ”

Alex Friedrich can be reached at afriedrich@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-2109.

Copyright 2008 Pioneer Press.