86-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 14,2001
Singing Dairy Princess Captures
Audiences f Attention
LOU ANN GOOD
Food And Family
Features Editor
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) Make it fun, keep it light,
and make it milk sums up Heidi
Miller’s philosophy for teaching
folks the importance of indulging
in Pennsylvania’s official bever
age.
The Pennsylvania First Alter
nate Dairy Princess delights au
diences with her hand-clapping,
country-style singing that en
dorses drinking milk to ensure
healthy bones and delightful
smiles.
Singing and being a spokes
person for milk is “genetics,”
according to her grandfather
Paul Miller.
Heidi’s Aunt Debbie (Miller)
Brubaker was the state dairy
princess in 1974, and her grand
mother Pat Miller served on the
state Dairy Princess Promotion
board for 20 years. Heidi was
Dauphin County’s Little Miss
when she was sevenyears old.
For many years, her grandpar
ents and their children (including
Heidi’s dad), known as the Sing
ing Millers, presented programs
at churches and agricultural
meetings.
Now the third generation,
which includes Heidi, her sister
Holly, 17, brother Harrison, 15,
and many cousins excel in sing
ing talent.
“I’m a genetic nut and a
strong supporter of depth of ped
igrees in cows. It carries over to
humans too,’’ their grandfather
claims.
Heidi, daughter of J. Michael
and Linda Miller, helps on the
family farm. The 253-acre farm,
about 15 minutes from Harris
burg city limits, was purchased
by her grandfather in 1957.
In 1989, Heidi’s dad Michael
purchased the farm. About three
-♦ "■
Evidence that dreams do
come true is shown by this
photo of Heidi, 5, who
dreamed of becoming dairy
princess by playing dress
up. This was also the year
that Heidi sang her first
solo at church. Today she
is both an accomplished
soloist, sings alto in a gos
pel quartet, and is the
state alternate dairy prin
cess.
years ago, the Holstein herd was
dispersed, and the family raises
replacement heifers and hay for
horses. Both parents hold down
full-time, off-the-farm jobs.
When it had been suggested
that Heidi and Holly sell their
calves at the dispersal sale, both
balked. “No way,” said Holly,
who is nicknamed the “Cow
Girl” because of her affinity to
ward cows.
The whole court in Dau
phin County Dairy Promo
tion participates in singing
milk’s message in karaoke.
Heidi and Holly with, Little
Misses including their
cousin Emily Miller with
her mother Christy, and
sisters Rachel and Abigail
Crissinger.
The sisters kept their calves to
show at county and state levels.
Both have achieved success. Sev
eral weeks ago, Holly’s cow,
Christmas Belle, went Excellent.
Previously, it had placed first as
a 4-year-old at the State Junior
Show and at the 2001 State Farm
Show.
Heidi’s heifer, Marsha, was
named junior champion at the
Dauphin County 4-H Roundup
and first at the 2000 Lebanon
Area Fair. It’s due to calf any
day, in time for Heidi to prepare
her for her last year of 4-H show
ing.
“Be proud to be a farmer,”
Heidi tells people involved in ag
riculture.
It’s advice she credits her
grandfather for instilling in her.
That advice, Heidi believes, has
enabled her to be a positive
spokesperson in the Central
Dauphin High School, where she
is the only farm girl in her class.
She allows her farming knowl
edge to permeate her activities.
For example, Heidi took advan
tage of a class assignment to pre
pare a persuasive speech by talk
ing about the importance of
drinking milk. Classmates grad
ed the speeches, and every one
credited her with having one of
the top three placings of the
whole class.
Heidi backs up her talk with
action. “I always drink my
milk,” Heidi said about school
lunches.
“My classmates and teachers
At right, J. Michael and
Linda Miller with daughters
Heidi and Holly, and son
Harrison.
OMESTEAD OTES
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think it is so neat that I live on
the farm,” she said.
In fact, many of Heidi’s
friends show up at the farm at 3
a.m. to help her prepare her ani
mals for showing.
“They think showing is so
cool,” Heidi said.
Heidi said the school has been
so supportive of her need to miss
school in order to promote the
dairy industry. It is surprising,
since the school is not in an agri
culture district. Teachers and
classmates have dubbed Heidi
“Dairy Fairy.”
In the fall, Heidi plans to
study music education at Leba
non Valley College.
Heidi was first crowned dairy
princess for Dauphin County last
June. In the fall, she was
crowned Pennsylvania Alternate,
which gave her unique promo
tional skit more exposure.
In addition to singing at local
events, Heidi has sang before
Pennsylvania Governor Thomas
Ridge, opened Pennsylvania
Farm Show the past two years by
singing the National Anthem,
and sang at many other state
functions.
“Secretary of Agriculture Sam
Hayes has really opened some
doors for me,” Heidi said.
Few dairy farms are left in
Dauphin County. In fact, the
dairy promotion committee had
not been active for about 14
years until resurrected last year
by Heidi’s mom and grandmoth
er.
“The hardest part was getting
the program started here again,
and making all those contacts.
We’d like to keep it going,”
Heidi said of the promotional op
portunities in the county.
Heidi and Holly are also part
of a Gospel quartet that performs
in churches and other events.
Heidi and Holly play piano and
study private voice lessons. Voice
lessons are in classical music,
which Heidi doesn’t enjoy as
much as Southern Gospel, but
she said the training really helps
in all styles of singing.
Heidi provides piano accom
paniment for four choirs at Cen
tral Dauphin High School and is
the church pianist. She also plays
for weddings, funerals, and other
events. Heidi can also play violin
and French hom.
Holly sings soprano and plays
the flute and cello.
“I think it’s really neat that I
can combine my two loves,”
Heidi said of dairy promotion
and singing.
Bookings can be made by con
tacting the Millers at (717)
599-5818.
This cowgirl, Pennsylvania Alternate Dairy Princess
Heidi Miller, sings a country western tune she wrote in
praise of milk.
Grandpa Paul Miller likes to sing with his granddaugh
ters, Heidi and Holly.
iy, ~.uphi>.
bine passions for singing and farming.