A3o—LancasterFarming, Saturday, June 2_, 1980
Lancaster’s dairy princess sparkles
BY PAT KAUFFMAN
LITITZ Sparkle. Connie
Balmer, the newly crowned
1980 Lancaster County Dairy
Princess should add lots of it
to her reign. Her dark eyes
sparkle at the talk of
Nancy and Jesse Balmer joined their daughter
Saturday evening for pictures.
Connie Balmer, Lititz, the new 1980 Dairy Princess is flanked by Belle Balmer,
Mount Joy, first runnerup, left and Lu Ann Brenneman, Mount Joy, second
runnerup
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Some of the many gifts Connie received Saturday are shown* bracelets,
traveling alarm clock, pocket mirror, umbrella, cow creamer, and tote bag as
well as her pewter bowl for Miss Congeniality
meeting people and going
places.
Connie is the 17 year old
daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Jesse Balmer, Midway
Road, Lititz. With her
crowning Saturday evening.
t s /
jss
Connie offers a preview of her show animal,
Gordline's Choice Carol which she will show in the
X
she becomes the
representative of the Lan
caster County dairy industry
for 1980-81.
This has been a big year
for Connie. She’s a 1980 grad
of Warwick High School. And
prior to winning the pageant,
she was planning to seek
employment in an ac
counting or secretarial job.
But Saturday evening
changed all that. Now she’s
planning to devote a large
portion of her time to the
dairy industry.
Her personality not only
impressed the judges, it also
impressed the contestants.
Connie was also chosen Miss
Congeniality Saturday, an
award which is becoming old
hat m her household. Seems
her sisters Cindy and Cheryl
who have also participated
m the pageant have been
recipients of the award.
Connie’s home farm just
outside Lititz is also home
for 150 head of registered
Guernsey cattle of all sizes
The family milks ap
proximately 80 COWS. Cum...
and her mother, Nancy
regularly help with the
milking. And when the men
are out doing the haying, the
ladies take charge of the
cows.
This young lady hasn’t
been sitting around for the
past few years. In addition to
her farm responsibilities,
she has found time to be in
the 4-H Guernsey club for 9
years She has served as
secretary and news reporter
for the club and is presently
its vice-president.
A 4-H sewing club for 5
years and church youth
involvement as well as
Thursday evening roller
skatmg have helped to fill
her hours She also played
trumpet m the Warwick
bands and orchestra
Her love of her breed
comes to the front when she
talks of her show calves It
seems this young woman has
had the Grand Champion
Guernsey for the past three
years at the county roundup
Ana last year in addition to
having the Grand Champion,
she also exhibited the
Reserve Grand Champion, a
daughter of her Grand
Champion
In total, Connie owns 7
r’Mornsev heifers and cows
Her lather who farms 120
acres on the home farm plus
rented land has given the
4
county roundup this year.
Connie is no stranger to the dairy industry.
While she'll be doing a lot up front for the industry
this year, here she shows a working knowledge of
the other end.
animals to her as well as to
the other children in the
family This year Connie is
planning to hit the show ring
with a new project animal, a
senior yearling heifer
Connie’s Grand Champion
cow received an award from
Pennfield for her 1979
production of 16,743 pounds
of milk and 759 pounds of
butterfat In addition, she
was the second high but
terfat award winning cow in
the Ephrata Fair last year
Connie’s cow was topped by
her sister’s cow in this
competition
Her love and expertise in
showing have won for her
numerous awards in
showmanship over the past
few years She has shown in
the County, District, Junior
Dairy and All American
shows Connie said it’s the
"challenge to tram animals
and the fellowship at shows’’
that she loves about
showing
In her 4-H Guernsey club,
Connie said she thinks the
activities planned are in
teresting She said that she’d
like to see more involvement
from the younger members
of the club
During the competition
Saturday, the girls gave
short presentations Con
nie’s presentation was the
following rhyme
Out in the meadow so
beautiful and green.
Stands Bessy the cow, she
thinks she’s a queen
She is much entitled to feel
this way,
Smce she gives good rich
milk, which we need every
day
k
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