SALEM, Ohio — Mary Jo Brown, of Salineville, was crowned 2011 Columbiana County Dairy Princess during the Columbiana Buckeye Dairy Boosters’ spring banquet April 10 at The Salem Hills Golf and Country Club in Salem.
Brown is the daughter of Diane and Steve Tarka and the late Roy Brown of Salineville. A senior at Carrollton High School, she is active in the junior fair board, 4-H, cross country and track.
Other contestants were Sara Fraser, the daughter of Anne Marie and Hugh Fraser from Beloit, and Erica Steiger, the daughter of Bart and Joyce Steiger of Alliance.
2010 recap
Brown succeeds 2010 Dairy Princess Brittany Farmer, who reported on her activities for the past year during the event.
Farmer gave tours to third graders at Martig Farms, where she is employed; distributed cheese sticks at Salem Quakers baseball games and a dentist office; and presented a baby gift to the first baby born during June, which is National Dairy Month. She also was in the Johnny Appleseed Parade, 4-H Experience Day, Essex Nursing Home, and the Columbiana County Drive-it-Yourself tour.
During the county fair, Farmer attended the dairy shows, rode in the parade, worked a shift at the ice cream barn, and helped at the milking parlor.
Dairy princess judges were Susan Lora, Mahoning County dairy farmer, and Nancy Herron, the 1998 Columbiana County Dairy Princess and a former scholarship winner. She is employed at Akron Children’s Hospital as an occupational therapist in Boardman.
Upcoming tour
During a short business meeting, the dairy boosters discussed the 4-H field day at the fairgrounds May 20, when volunteers will be needed to help with ice cream.
Volunteers will also be needed for the ice cream barn during the fair.
Members were reminded the deadline for the spring tour is May 1. The group will be driving to the Wooster area. A tour of Smith Dairy and a stop at Smucker’s are some of the attractions planned.
Scholarships
The local Buckeye Dairy Boosters presented their 2011 scholarships to Rebecca Swope of Salem and Cody Heck of Alliance.
Swope, the daughter of Kevin and Sarah Swope, will be attending West Virginia University this fall, majoring in agriculture education. Currently, she is a senior at United Local High School.
Heck is the son of Marc Heck and Tammy Weisel. A senior at West Branch High School, he will be attending Stark State College majoring in electricity, and has enrolled in First Energy’s Power Systems Institute to become a line worker.
