Huntingdon County's Zanic Named 2015 Pennsylvania Dairy Princess


Two Alternates Hail from Cumberland, Erie Counties



PA Department of AgSavannah Zanic of Huntingdon, Huntingdon County, was crowned the 59th Pennsylvania Dairy Princess on Saturday, September 19, after a three-day competition with 28 county dairy princesses.

Savannah, the 17-year-old daughter of George and Lori Zanic, was crowned by outgoing state princess Ashley Mohn of Womelsdorf, Berks County.

Contestants were judged on public speaking, dairy industry knowledge, and poise and personality. Each contestant prepared a speech, presentation, radio spot and poster display promoting milk and dairy products; submitted a scrapbook of promotion activities; took a dairy industry knowledge quiz; and participated in an interview with a panel of four judges.

Savannah won the presentation contest and received honorable mention in the dairy promotion knowledge, radio spot, scrapbook, and speech competitions.

A senior at Huntingdon Area High School, Savannah is president of the Standing Stone FFA Chapter, secretary of the National Honor Society chapter and plays varsity volleyball. She milks cows and helps feed calves on a 160-cow dairy. Savannah enjoys scrapbooking, helping the dairy promotion team educate the community about the dairy industry, and showing her cows at the Huntingdon County Fair. She is a member of the Huntingdon Presbyterian Church and has a younger brother, Nicholas.

Two alternates were also selected during the evening festivities. First alternate is Cumberland County Dairy Princess Morgan Brymesser of Boiling Springs, Cumberland County. The 17-year-old Cumberland Valley High School senior is the daughter of Michael and Michele Brymesser. Morgan is active in cheerleading and choir as well as numerous clubs and committees. She enjoys giving farm tours, promoting the dairy industry, taking photographs, scrapbooking, and spending time with friends. Morgan plans to attend college and pursue a degree in Elementary Education.

Morgan, who won best traditional scrapbook and the poster competition and was runner-up in the speech and radio spot competitions, was crowned by outgoing first alternate Carly Foose of Quarryville, Lancaster County.

Second alternate is Erie County Dairy Princess Lydia Szymanski, 17, of Waterford, Erie County. The daughter of Cindy and James Szymanski, Lydia is a school thespian and pole vaulter. She is active on her family's farm and with the True Grit 4-H Club, where she shows goats, lambs, dairy cows, and participates in public speaking events. Lydia looks forward to continuing the family's farming tradition with a farm of her own and marketing products through an on-farm store.

Lydia won the speech competition and received honorable mentions for her radio spot and poster display. She was crowned by outgoing second alternate Rachael Grosvener of Kingsley, Susquehanna County.

In addition to Savannah, Morgan and Lydia, the four other selected finalists were:

  • Seventeen-year-old Sara Lucas, Centre County Dairy Princess, from Snow Shoe. She is the daughter of Amy Hall and Scott Lucas.
  • Sixteen-year-old Grace Crider, Franklin County Dairy Princess, from Saint Thomas,received best digital scrapbook and runner-up honors in the presentation competition. She is the daughter of Rodney and Rhoda Crider.Sixteen-year-old Maranna Nitcznski, Sullivan County Dairy Princess from Dushore, won the dairy promotion knowledge, speech and presentation competitions; She is the daughter of Christine and Timothy Nitcznski.
  • Twenty-year-old Hattie Henderson, Westmoreland County Dairy Princess, from New Florence, received honorable mention in the dairy promotion knowledge competition. She is the daughter of Carol and Randy Henderson,
  • Bedford County Dairy Princess Erin Jay, 16, of Artemas, was voted "Miss Congeniality" by the other county princesses. She received the honor in memory of Cochranville, Chester County, dairy farmer and princess program supporter Horace Prange. Erin also received an honorable mention in the speech and radio spot competitions.


Lancaster County Dairy Princess Lacey Costa, 17, of Quarryville, won the 30-second radio spot competition.

Other category finalists were: Berks County Dairy Princess Kelsie Burkhart, Bernville, honorable mention in the presentation competition; Blair County Dairy Princess Hayley England, of Williamsburg, honorable mention in the scrapbook competition; Butler County Dairy Princess Robin Peters, Connoquenessing, honorable mention in the scrapbook and presentation contests; Mercer County Dairy Princess Alexis Riley, Greenville, honorable mention in the poster contest; Warren County Dairy Princess Rachel Enos, Sugar Grove, honorable mention in the poster contest; and Wyoming-Lackawanna Dairy Princess Mary Beth Tranovich, runner-up in the dairy promotion knowledge competition.

Outgoing state princess Ashley Mohn was honored with the Tina M. Shultz Award. The award recognizes the princess who has done the most effective job of serving her area as dairy princess. During her county reign, Ashley was named Promoter of the Month six times, runner-up once and honorable mention once, all through 499 promotions. Her parents are Steve and Karen Mohn.

The award honors the legacy of 1985-86 Huntingdon County Dairy Princess Tina Marie Shultz, lauded for her outstanding job of promoting the dairy industry and its products under extremely difficult personal circumstances. Despite losing her left leg to cancer just three months before her county pageant, Tina seldom missed an engagement or opportunity to promote. The "Outstanding County Promoter Award" was rechristened for Shultz after her death in May 1986.

Ashley also received the William C. Nichol Appreciation Award and $1,000 scholarship, which is awarded to the state dairy princess in recognition of her dairy promotion efforts throughout the year.

The pageant also featured a tribute to Betty Reibson of Sullivan County, longtime member of the Pennsylvania Dairy Princess and Promotion Services, Inc., Board of Directors. She was recognized for her 21 years of service as treasurer, coordinating promotional events, mentoring dairy royalty and working with others in the dairy industry, particularly in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

The four overall judges were Mary Amoss, Fallston, Md.; John Clark, Mohawk, N.Y.; Jill Hoover, Washington, D.C.; and Eric Paulson, Bridgewater, Va.

Scrapbook and radio spot judges were Melinda Benedick, Chambersburg, Franklin Co., and Sue Wivell, York, York Co. Presentation and poster display judges were Bob Pepple, Oxford, Chester Co.; Lindsay Royak, Mechanicsburg, Cumberland Co.; and Vinton Smith, Gettysburg, Adams Co. Dairy knowledge quiz administrator was Emily Yeiser, Harrisburg, Dauphin County.

Kirk Sattazahn of Womelsdorf, Berks County, served as master of ceremonies.

For the next year, the new state royalty team will represent Pennsylvania's dairy industry and its 7,200 dairy farm families. The dairy industry is the state's top agriculture industry, contributing nearly $6 billion to the economy and supporting more than 60,000 jobs across the state.

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10.13.2015