YOU…might not know what a Dairy Princess is. But it’s an important job, and NorCal you crowned a new princess over the weekend! Dano caught up with winner Melanie Hanlon on Monday afternoon:
Here’s the official Press Release from the event:
17 year old Petaluma High Senior, Melanie Hanlon was crowned District 3 Dairy Princess on Saturday, April 8, 2017 at the Petaluma Veterans Memorial Hall. Melanie, the daughter of Tim and Perri Hanlon, will serve as the spokesperson for the Dairy Industry and represent local farmers and producers in Lake, Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Solano and Mendocino counties. In the Fall she plans on attending Oregon State University and will major in food science and technology with a focus in either food chemistry and product development or fermentation. Melanie has been showing Jersey heifers for the past two years as well as being active in 4-H and FFA. She feels she has a unique perspective which will be useful when dealing with consumer perceptions as Dairy Princess especially since talking and communicating with others is a genuine passion of hers.
Helping Melanie this year will be first alternate Elizabeth Pacheco of Petaluma High School and second alternate Kendal Middlebrook of Analy High School. They will work along with Melanie at fairs, school visits and many other community events. Also competing this year were Courtney King from Petaluma High School and Analy High School senior, Maria Bartlett who was awarded the Isolena Maestretti Miss Vitality award that was voted by the other girls as being helpful, friendly and caring during the contest and the Florence Gilardoni Scholarship.
Judges for the contest were Kevin Bount, Veronica Gomes and Megan Silva, impartial representatives from other Districts in the State. Escorts for the evening were Bryce Bianchi, Noah Cooper, Beau Hankins, Jake Hankins, Anthony Hawkins, Remi Mansour and Benny Spaletta. Helping out during the day and evening were the milkmaids, Megan Binford, Jeaneet Furlong, Grace Ghirardelli, Morgan Hartman, Jackie Jones, Sarah Kiser, Kayla Minehan, Missy Pendelton, Francesca Pharo, Olivia Setlak, Grace Spaletta and Courtney Temple.
The annual Dairy Princess Ball and Contest is co-sponsored by the North Bay Dairy Women and the California Milk Advisory Board. Serving as the chairperson and the person who makes everything happen is Judy Buttke of Buttke Dairy. This year’s contest was celebrating the past 60 years and 25 of the past princesses were recognized on stage at the event.
