New Blair County Dairy Royalty To Be Crowned at Pageant on May 15

The 2021 Blair County Dairy Princess Pageant will be held Saturday, May 15, in Williamsburg. The evening will include the recognition of the 2021-22 Blair County Dairy Promotion Team of Dairy Ambassadors, Dairy Maids and Dairy Misses in addition to the crowning of the new Blair County Dairy Princess and Dairy Princess Alternate.

Dana Heltzel, 2020-2021 Blair County Dairy Princess, will also share her retiring comments. 

Madison Benfer, 18-year-old daughter of Mike and Melissa Benfer of Curryville, is the Dairy Princess candidate. She will be attending Penn State in the fall and majoring in Animal Science. Madison has served as a Dairy Maid and a Dairy Ambassador previously. She is a current senior at Central High School and has a younger brother, Mason. 

Darcy Heltzel is the Dairy Princess Alternate candidate. She is a sophomore at Central High School and is the sister of the current Dairy Princess, Dana Heltzel. Her parents are Andy and Jennifer Heltzel of Martinsburg and she has another sister, Danielle, and a brother, Drew. Darcy has been a member of the dairy promotion team since she was four.

Both candidates will share a creative presentation as well as a prepared speech designed for a specific audience and containing a key message about the dairy industry, such as ensuring three servings of dairy products each day as a part of a healthy diet.

Madison and Darcy will also have an interview with a panel of judges and answer an impromptu question. They will spend their 2021-22 reign promoting the dairy farmers here in Blair County through events such as school promotions, health fairs, media outlets, and special events.