—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 23, 1973 24 o W | “ * ' \< V r \ I *■ " \ x <ivkwiirf« * ■»*«.'* >a * t * t > * Lebanon Count By Sally Bair Feature Writer Lebanon County’s new Dairy Princess is attractive eighteen year-old Donna Bennetch who says she’d “rather drink milk than anything" and she “loves ice cream ” Those are pretty good qualifications for a girl who will spend the next year promoting dairy products, but they are by no means the only ones which won her the opportunity to compete for the Pennsylvania Dairy Princess title in September. She is also intelligent, outgoing and enthusiastic about her new role. Donna is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs M Luther Bennetch, Newmanstown RDI She was crowned last Saturday night over four other candidates. “Shock” is the way she describes her reaction to the announcement that she was the winner “I really didn’t expect it, especially since I had just won the ‘Miss Congeniality’ award,” she says Donna said her job for the year to come will be to “promote milk ” She already has been invited to speak to a Kiwanis Club and to a 4-H Club, but she feels the Kiwanis Club will be most important. She said, “I think it is better to promote milk among non-farmers because farmers already know how important it is. We must get town people to buy milk products, and try to get them back to drinking milk in- Every farm has cats - the Bennetchs’ have a dozen. Here Donna plays with two of her favorites. Dairy Princess. .. Donna Bennetch Will " Donna dips her favorite milk product, ice cream. stead of soft drinks ” She said she will stress the nutritional value of milk in her appearances. Donna admitted she is a “little scared”about her role in the coming year. “I am looking forw ard to the seminar which tljey have for all the dairy princess contestants in the summer. I think it will help me a lot, - especially the public speaking part,” she says. The seminar teaches beauty and grooming aids, and helps the princesses gain confidence for the many public appearances they will be making. When asked how she felt women’s liberationists might feel about the Dairy Princess contest, she quickly said, “I think the Dairy Princess contest is valuable because it is trying to help an industry as opposed to the Miss America contest.” She thinks the purpose of the Dairy Princess contest is to choose the “person who can best promote the product and tell people about it.” She added that she is “all for it.” As to women’s lib, she said she is for it “up to a certain point “I feel women should be able to get any kind of job they want if they can do it, and they should get equal pay ” And to show that she is not afraid to tackle a job just because it’s “men’s work,” Donna changes her own oil arid filters in her car because it is “too ex pensive” to have someone else do it. She says her 16 year old brother Paul taught her how. She often helps him as he works to rebuild an old car he bought, and she’d like to take a course in auto mechanics so she can save more money on doing things herself. She’s particularly interested in learning to tune up her car on her own. Although she’s never had to change a tire, Donna said, “I know I could do it if I had to.” ak Up" For Milk The Dairy Princess’s daily to be employed in work which work is a little unconventional offers variety outdoors, too. She’s a farm girl at heart and Another recent interest for says she enjoys “everything Donna is ceramics. She has a few outdoors,” so a few months ago lovely objects to show for her she began working for Farr’s efforts, and is currently working nursery at Womelsdorf. She says on a teddy bear music box. She she does almost everything at the started doing ceramics this past nursery, including planting trees, winter and she said she really She had worked indoors since enjoys doing it, and “it isn’t graduation, but is much happier (Continued On Page 26) Donna feels you can save a lot of money by doing it yourself. Here she checks the oil in her car. Donna shows off some of her ceramic handiwork. She is holding a musical teddy bear which she is still working on.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers