Lancaster farming. (Lancaster, Pa., etc.) 1955-current, June 10, 2000, Image 54
814-Lancaster Fanning. Saturday, June 10, 2000 Little misses and escorts, from left front are: Malorie Coddington, Alexander Fox; Janna Shober, Lucas Calvert, Justin Ferko, Megan Brown, Tucker Cotter, Katelin Mi chael, Kristin Paul, Jennifer Martin, Lori Horning, Drew Cotter. Not pictured are Levi Friedline, Isaac Plummer and Keri Friedline. Somerset Dairy Princess 2000 Cracks Case Of Project Milk GAY BROWNLEE Somerset Co. Correspondent BERLIN (Somerset Co.) “Project Milk" found 16-year-old Lacey Coleman examining all the clues she found on the farm to crack the mystery case. Once on the scent, however, each clue lead to another and before you knew it the agent had found all the answers. On May 27, Lacey Coleman captured the title of Somerset County Dairy Princess 2000. The daughter of Phillip and Lee Ann Coleman, Berlin, was among four contestants in the 34th An nual Somerset County Dairy Princess Pageant, held at Berlin- Brothersvalley High School. Retiring Somerset Dairy Princess Not Inclined To Waste Time BOSWELL (Somerset Co.) Susanna Thomas, who is retiring on June 30 as the 1999 Somerset County Dairy Princess, is not in clined to waste her time. The 17-year-old, for instance, in the middle of the day, dashes home from the Greater Johns town Career and Technology Center to meet an interviewer who, obviously is late. Instead of impatience, the in dustrious young woman hastily begins chopping the carrots needed for a dish on the family dinner menu that evening. In the last 12 months, she has had similar experiences making every minute count. Her parents, Mark and Doris Thomas, and sister. Elizabeth, 15, are support ive. Maintaining responsibilities on the 154-acre Bowling Green Farm, where Susanna tends her own small Jersey herd and beef cattle, school, and being the dairy princess is a demanding commitment. She also works at the North Fork Golf and Country Club in the capacity of a cook. Susanna says it was the right time for her to be the dairy prin cess. As a junior, studying horti culture, floriculture and hydro ponics, she found the educational work load manage able. “This is a good age to be inter ested and relate to little kids,” In evening gowns for their promenade, the young women also presented dairy skits and underwent questioning in the on stage interviews by master of cer emonies, state representative, Robert Bastian. Coleman leads the Somerset County Holstein Club as its pres ident; shows and fits her own eight dairy cattle; is a 10-year member of the Milksquirts 4-H Club, and chapter sweetheart of the Berlin-Brothersvalley FFA. Her travels have included a 2000 4-H Exchange Trip dele gate to Mendocino County, Cali fornia, and delegate to the 2000 National Rural Electric Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. She she observed. “When you are older, you are doing your own thing." So, happily, Susanna is em bracing the future where her concentration as a senior can be more self-focused. “My senior year is my year,” she firmly an nounced. Her former reserve was effec tively banished through meeting many new people. “I was sort of shy and backward,” she ac knowledged, “but my people skills have grown immensely. My knowledge of the dairy industry has grown even more,” she said, assessing herself. It was equally notable to the dairy princess that her experi ences were also helping others to grow and change. An inner-city child, for in stance, knew nothing about cows, milk or dairy products. So when Susanna presented the news that a cow can make 50-60 glasses of milk in a day, because she drinks the equivalent of a bathtub filled with water, eats hay, corn and other feed, the child was lost. He was unable to grasp beyond what his family found in a grocery store. Broad ening his young mind was a moving exercise for the princess. The lion’s share of promotions found her at schools, supermar kets, malls, special events, and meetings. The spontaneity of children made school promos a participates in many more activi ties in school and church. Coleman is the only daughter of four children. Her brothers are Matthew, 21; Adam, 18 and Wade, 11. The alternate dairy princess, Rebekah Fox, 16, is Brad and Melissa Fox’s daughter. She was the Miss Congeniality recipient. The Fox family resides near Brotherton. Cristie Weaver, 16, and Jenni fer Stahl, 17, rounded out the contestant roster. Weaver’s par ents, Carl and Brenda Weaver are from Windber. Stahl’s par ents, Richard H. and E. Ellen Stahl are from Somerset. Judges for the affair, which favorite with Susanna. Most Somerset County kids have the basic under standing of farming, yet, when it came to the cows themselves, they were eager to hear more from Susanna. Enlightening them about the cow breeds, for instance, and the cow’s amazing, com partmentalized stomach. They were awed at the pro cess of bovine digestion. “When a cow eats food, she might chew a bit and swallow then bring it up later to finish chewing,” she re ported. Children love to learn new things. They can more readily accept that milk is good for you no matter how old you are. Adults, of course, are harder to convince that drinking milk and eating dairy products is, by far, the best preventer of osteoporo- “My most difficult challenge was talking to older people who were set in their ways,” she said. “Calcium is good for hair, skin, eyesight, heartbeat and helps muscles contract and relax. It is good for a lot of things,” Su sanna said. The promoter stated that Vita- Somerset County Dairy Princess 2000, Lacey Cole man,right, is shown with alternate Rebekah Fox. was followed by an ice cream so cial, were Karen Soliday, Johns town; Mary Beth Lieb, Cambria County and John McElvaine, Westmoreland County. Almost, but not quite every one, was a door prize winner. Dairy maids Jessica Rose, Danie la Shriner, Elizabeth Ann Thom as, Joy Tressier, and Bethany Weimer hand-delivered them to recipients seated in the auditori um. Little Miss participants were Megan Brown, Malorie Codding ton, Keri Friedline, Lori Hom ing, Jennifer Martin, Katelin Mi chael, Kristen Paul, Janna Shober. Their escorts were Lucas Calvert, Drew Cotter, Tucker Cotter, Justin Ferko, Alex Fox, ' Susanna Thomas has always worked with cows, but learned a lot of new facts as Somerset County Dairy Prin cess. min D in milk is what helps bones absorb calcium, yet there are individuals who believe all they need to prevent osteoporosis are calcium pills. She anticipates climbing back in the tractor driver’s seat and Levi Friedline and Isaac Plum mer. Angie Shober, chairperson of the Somerset County Dairy Promotion Committee. Assisting are Jodi Flick, Amy Paul, Jenny Plummer, Christine Singo, Bar bara Brant, Nina Ferko, Gloria Kaufman, Sylvia Mast, Helen Mishler, Dorothy Naugle and Sue Tressler. The new dairy princess, who succeeds the retiring Susanna Thomas of Boswell, received $2OO from the Allied Milk Pro ducers’ Cooperative, Inc. In April 2001, Allied will give a sec ond installment of $3OO if the princess, at that time, has met the obligations and requirements of dairy promotion. doing the field work she enjoys so much. In some ways the old routine will feel good again. Still, not for anything would Susanna exchange the wonderful experi ences and unique growth emerg ing from the dairy princess re sponsibilities.