86-Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, June 2,2001
Jennings Crowned
Bradford Dairy Princess
CAROLYN N. MOYER
Bradford Co. Correspondent
East Smithfleld (Bradford Co.)
Sara Lynn Jennings, Troy, was
crowned Bradford County Dairy
Princess at a pageant recently.
The daughter of Nancy Scott
Jennings and the late Ronald
Lynn Jennings, the newly
crowned princess is studying ac
counting at Elmira Business In
stitute. She also loves to help on
her grandfather’s farm and
served as the 2000 Bradford
County Alternate Dairy Princess.
Named Alternate Dairy Prin
cess was Raya Shores, Hom
brook. She is the daughter of
Glenn and Patty Shores and at
tends North Rome Christian
School, where she’ll graduate in
2003.
Shores loves sports and works
on her family’s Holstein dairy.
Judges Lisa Oriscol, Canton;
Craig Williams, Wellsboro; and
Connie Teel, Meshoppin selected
the new princess.
Each contestant participated
in a daylong dairy festival, which
included a parade and dairy
promotion activities. At the pag
eant, each had to present a skit
and answer an impromptu ques
tion.
Jennings enlisted the help of
the audience as she recreated a
scene from “This is your Life,” as
she touted the benefits of milk
and listed many dairy products.
“You can have a dairy great
life too,” said Miss Jennings,
“and remember, milk is the one
in 2001!”
True to her passion for sports,
Shores used a basketball theme
for her skit. She showed how
missing her morning milk made
her tired and listless even
causing her to miss practice. The
next morning, however, she was
Sara Lynn Jennings, seated, is crowned Bradford
County Dairy Princess after a daylong dairy festival and
pageant recently. Raya Shores is Alternate Bradford
County Dairy Princess. Alight, nine dairy maids wtlf help
promote milk in Bradford County. From left, are Courtney
Kline, Sierra Slater, Abbie Kuhlman, Timmerie Fletcher,
Jenny Storch, Renee Shores, Tiffany Spencer, Elizabeth
Spencer, and Marlesa Coolbaugh.
in top form and ready to run
extra laps since she started her
morning with a tall glass of milk.
Helping the dairy promotion
duo this year are nine dairy
maids. Marlesa Coolbaugh, Can
ton; Timmerie Fletcher, Ridge
bury; Courtney Kline, Troy;
Abbie Kuhlman, Rome; Renee
Shores, Hornbrook; Sierra Slater,
Rome; Elizabeth Spencer, Troy;
Tiffany Spencer, Troy; and
Jenny Storch, Troy, will each
help promote milk in Bradford
County throughout the year.
Special guests attending the
38th annual pageant included 14
former Bradford County dairy
princesses and several former al
ternates.
As 2000 Dairy Princess Sa-
mantha Barrett joined the ranks
of the former dairy princesses,
she delivered a farewell speech in
rhyme, recalling the skit that
started her on her journey one
year ago.
“One year ago, Milky Mouse
debuted in my pageant skit.
Many performances later, my
costume has tattered a bit. You
might remember that Milky
Mouse always talked in thyme?
So, I’ve adopted her style as I ap
pear as your princess for the last
time...
“Representing our dairy in
dustry has been my absolute
pleasure. The people, the memo
ries, I’ll always treasure.”
Alternate Dairy Princess for
2000, Corissa Coolbaugh, also
thanked the crowd for many
great memories and cheered on
the new promotion team.
“To think back, you have a lot
of memories. Some are sad, some
are happy, and you wish it could
go on forever,” she said.
Shannon Braman, age 10, holds the Century Award presented to the Braman family
farm in the Bedford Valley. Tom Braman holds Shania, age 5, while Cassie, age 8, leans
on her mom Karen, on the right. The 200-acre Braman dairy farm was purchased by
Tom’s great-great-grandfather in 1900 for $4,500. Tom kept the farm in the family
when he became its owner in 1992.
Braman Farm Gets Century Award
LINDA WILLIAMS
Bedford Co. Correspondent
BEDFORD (Bedford Co.)
Tom Braman of US Route 220 in
Bedford Valley is proud of his
farm’s newly acquired century
old award.
He likes farming and he is
happy to be part of the Braman
chain who has owned this pictur
esque farm with its hills, wood
lands, and lush green pastures.
The Braman farm has 200
acres. Eighty are tillable and the
rest is in pasture and woodlands.
He rents an additional 175 acres.
The valley farm is a perfect
setting for his 66 head of milking
Holstein, 30 calves, heifers and a
few beef cattle which are a 4-H
project for Shannon, his
10-year-old daughter.
“The best part of farming is
that I get to see my kids every
day,” Tom said. His wife, Karen,
is a bookkeeper and computer
guru for the Bedford County Li
brary. She helps on the farm with
the milking chores and keeps the
large farmhouse in running
order.
Two other daughters, Cassie,
8, and Shania, 5, do whatever
they can to help with the farm
chores. The girls all have pig
projects for 4-H.
“I feed chop,” said Shania.
Cassie and Shannon tie cows,
feed, and throw down hay.
When Karen goes to work, it is
Tom who puts the girls on the
school bus and is there waiting
when the bus returns at the end
of the day. In the summer, he
keeps the girls while doing his
farm work. “Where I am, so are
they,” he said. “If I go to town,
they go along. If I am doing
chores, they are usually right
there helping me.”
Tom’s 92-year-old uncle and
his 71-year-old dad also live on
the farm. Dad helps on a regular
basis and his uncle rides the four
wheeler to feed the beef cattle. “It
keeps everyone busy and gives
them a reason to get up in the
morning,” Tom explained.
The farm was bought by his
great-great-grandfather in Au
gust of 1900 for a purchase price
of $4,500. His dad leased the
farm from his Uncle Herb from
1976 until 1992 when Tom be
came the new owner.
Tom’s advice for having a suc
cessful farm is stay out of debt.
“You read a lot about debt man
agement,” he said. “Staying out
of debt is the best way to manage
it. When we want something, we
save up for it!”
Tom and Karen keep all of the
farm records on the computer
which makes it easier to track in
come and expenses.
The Bramans raise 100 acres
of corn and 20 acres of small
grain a year. The balance of the
farmland is in hay. With Karen
working, they find it more benefi
cial not to have a garden but do
raise their own sweet com.
A “jack of all trades”, type,
Tom does all of his own construc
tion work and maintenance work
on the machinery. “And I’m
pretty good with the animals,” he
admitted. “I’ve learned to do a
lot because doing it yourself is the
best way to make a profit.”
The woodlands are used by
Tom’s brothers who have bought
and run a pinemill in Bedford. A
lot of the wood comes from the
Braman farm. During the winter
months, Tom helps out with the
mill and in the spring, his broth
ers lend a hand with the field
work.
“I don’t have any real secrets
for good farming,” Tom admits.
“I do have a lot of general knowl
edge and am always willing to
learn. I learn something new
every day. We are proud to be a
farm family.”
And despite all the work, Tom
still finds time for a hobby. He
owns and rides a Harley David
son. “When I need a break, I get
out on my Harley,” he grins.