820-Lancaster Fannins, Saturday, July 19,1986
Seminar Prepares Princesses To Promote Milk, Peiiy Products
BY BARBARA MILLER
Lycoming County Correspondent
GROVE CITY County dairy
princesses and their alternates
attended the 1986 Dairy Princess
Training Seminar held July 8
through 10 at Grove City College,
Grove City.
Sponsored by the Pennsylvania
Dairy Princess and Promotion
Services Inc., the seminar was
designed to prepare the girls for
their role in promoting dairy
products as dairy princesses. No
area of expertise helpful to a
princess is overlooked.
During the three-day program
princesses and alternates attended
workshops in public speaking,
social poise, makeup and hair
styling, and receive guidance on
selecting colors complimentary to
their skin tones. Additional topics
covered in the seminar include
working with the news media,
learning about cows and taking
advantage of area promotions.
The princesses’ skits are
critiqued and the girls are offered
suggestions for improving them.
But all is not work. Sprinkled
throughout the seminar are plenty
of milk, ice cream and pizza
breaks and also time for swim
ming and getting acquainted.
Tammy Cree, the 1983 Penn
sylvania state dairy princess, and
current State Dairy Princess Beth
Heald were on hand to help the
newcomers. Tammy taught a class
on social poise and Beth instructed
the girls on “dressing as a prin
cess.”
Tammy Cree, the 1983 state dairy princess, teaches a class
on social poise.
Bucks County Dairy Princess Diane Moyer gets her hair
reshaped by Cathy Smith of Strattanville.
Of all the lessons taught during
the seminar, participants said the
most popular were Tammy Cree’s
social poise session and a public
speaking lesson taught by co
chairman Mim Kauffman.
Lancaster County Dairy Prin
cess Pam Kindig said she enjoyed
the sessions on public speaking and
poise. She noted that a session on
commercials convinced her to
include jingles in her own
presentation.
“I’m enjoying all the seminar
and leHaming helpful hints that will
help me feel at ease in what I’m
doing,’’she said.
Marsha Anthony, Crawford
County dairy princess, said she
was surprised to 16am she could
call on MAMMA and ADA to help
with her promotions.
“We can call them and they will
send us free stuff to aid in dairy
promotion,” she said, adding: “I
really enjoyed the social poise
section with Tammy Cree. ”
Lycoming County Dairy Prin
cess Becky Hippie reported that
she liked the session on social
poise, which included instructions
on standing properly.
“It’s been fun meeting with the
girls and working with makeup,”
she continued.
A panel discussion for com
mittee members and mothers was
held Wednesday afternoon with
Southwest Coordinator Beverly
Minor acting as moderator.
Panel member Betty Herron of
Salem, Ohio, discussed ways to
involve more workers in county
Panel members participate in a discussion for committee members and mothers
Wednesday afternoon. Panel members, from left, were: Betty Herron, Salem, Ohio;
Shirley Griffith, ADA/DC, Syracuse, N.Y.; Nancy Covert, Jefferson County Extension;
Joyce Graybill, Lancaster County; and moderator Beverly Minor
promotion committees. “Don’t ask
for volunteers,” she cautioned.
Rather, she advised, select your
own committee members
When she became president of
her dairy promotion group in
Salem, membership grew from 12
to 75. Herron said she first made a
list of work to be done.
Meanwhile, the dairy committee
gathered the names of all the
farmers in the county and from
this list compiled a list of farmers
considered able, competent and
enthusiastic.
Although she admitted she was
hesitant to call people at first,
Herron said out of the 56 people she
called, she tallied 55 yeses and only
one no.
"Be positive, a little pushy, but
don’t shove...Be deaf to excuses,”
Herron advised.
The most common excuse for not
helping, Herron said, is being too
busy. When she encountered this,
she reminded the person that
perhaps they should take time for a
group that involved their
livelihood.
Further tips from Herron were
to call people in the evenings when
they are more relaxed, to allow no
one to hold a committee office for
more than two years, to keep
Turn Sewing Skills
WILKES-BARRE - If you have
a knack for sewing and enjoy the
work, you might be able to turn
your talents into a profitable
business. Being your own boss,
working your own hours at home,
doing what you like to do the
rewards of being a seamstress are
many. However, it isn’t as easy as
it sounds, says Luzerne County
extension home economist
Josephine Kotch.
“Most people who sew have the
creative skills, but lack the
business expertise to make their
business venture a success,” says
Kotch. “It takes careful planning
and managing.”
If you are considering starting a
sewing business, ask yourself
some serious questions and
answer them honestly. “Knowing
yourself is the first step toward
making good business decisions,”
Kotch said.
Do you get along with other
people? Do you have enough
initiative? Do you have enough
self-confidence? Are you going into
business for fun, for profit, or for
self-fulfillment? Kotch recom
mends using your answers to these
questions to make a personal
examination, assessing your
talents and capabilities, goals and
ambitions.
Next find out everything you
need to know about running a
business record keeping,
marketing, taxes, advertising,
meetings short, and to get input
from all committee members.
Nancy Covert of the Jefferson
County Extension office, another
panel member, explained youth
dairy ambassadors, a pilot
program not yet a year old. Covert
said Jefferson County dairy am
bassadors are a “select group of
high school boys and grils
representing each high school in
Jefferson County.” They are
trained by the Penn State
Cooperative Extension Service to
supplement the activities of the
dairy princess by helping her
carry the dairy message to the
whole community.
For example, Covert said, the
dairy ambassadors helped to serve
milk to over 900 people during the
July 4 holiday. Dairy ambassadors
wear a big ribbon instead of a
banner and are supported by adult
contact persons who help them set
up promotions.
“It’s really fantastic to have
boys up in front of a class drinking
milk,” Covert exclaimed.
She said she expects the
program to become widespread in
the state.
Joyce Graybill of Lancaster
County offered advice on
organizing dairy spectaculars such
Into Profitable Business
insurance, licensing, zoning,
regulations. Combining this
knowledge with your personal
goals will help you plant the
structure of your business. She
offers the following checklist as a
guide:
• What kmd of business do you
have in mind custom sewing,
dressmaking, alterations, needle
crafts, teaching? Start with what
you already do well, then plan to
expand your business to include
other services as you add skills.
• Will your business be product
or service oriented?
• Who is your competition? Who
are your potential customers? Is
there a real need for your business
in your area?
• When will you work? How
much time are you willing to
devote to your business?
• Where will your business be
located? Do you have room to
create an efficient work area?
• How will you advertise? Will
you use word-of-mouth, posters,
fliers, or newspaper ads? Will you
contact local retailers or fabric
shops?
• How much money do you need
to start your business? To keep it
going? How much money do you
need to make? How much will you
need to charge to meet your goal?
Once you hang out your shingle
consider yourself a professional
and conduct your business as such.
“It’s important to have a business
as a 125-foot cheese sandwich or an
8-foot ice cream sundae. Graybill
stressed the importance of plan
ning ahead and advised committee
members to invite local
newspapers, television and radio
stations to cover the event. If the
media do not reply to the first
invitation, follow-up calls are in
order, she said.
Graybill suggested choosing
people with high quality products
to participate. Planners should
also consider who will assemble
the product and where, and should
have recipe leaflets on hand to
distribute.
Shirley Griffith of ADA/DC of
Syracuse, N.Y. talked about
arranging supermarket
promotions. Among other things,
she suggested members contact
the store manager first by letter,
then follow up with a phone call or
a visit. She also said to keep
recipes simple for foods to be
prepared in the store and to try the
recipe at home first.
The princesses attending
seminar will use their new
knowledge when they compete in
the annual State Dairy Princess
Contest Sept. 20 the Marriott
Inn, Harrisburg.
plan,” she says. “That means
keeping accurate records, in
cluding a record of your long-range
goals. The plan should project
income, as well as expenses.”
Include everything used in the
business; thread, electricity, auto
expenses, telephone, business
cards, etc.
Kotch recommends starting
small, maintaining control and
building a reputation before ex
panding the business. “Bad
management, rather than bad
ideas, causes most business
failures,” she adds.
“Sewing for pay can be an ex
citing and challenging career, with
many options beyond
dressmaking.” “However, a
thorough examination of your
personal and business goals is
necessary to turn a hobby into a
profitable business,” says Mrs.
Kotch.
For a light texture in
certain cookies and in
pound cakes, cream the
butter and sugar well.
Butter needs to be firm so
that bits will stick to the
crystals of sugar (shaped
somewhat like snowflakes)
during the creaming. When
the sugar crystals melt in
the oven, they leave tiny
pockets of air, lightening
the finished product.