The 60th annual Winneshiek County Dairy Banquet will be Saturday, April 1, at the Festina Community Center.
The meal will be served from 7 to 8 p.m. with the awards program starting at 8 p.m. The meal will consist of Beef Brisket, Baby Reds, Honey Glazed Carrots, Strawberry Fluff, Brownies & Ice-cream served by U2 catering
DHIA awards, several individual awards and scholarships will be distributed,, along with the crowning of this year’s royalty. Tickets are $15 and are available at the door the night of the banquet.
Candidates
The candidates for this year’s royalty contest include:
* Princess candidate, Kendra Elsbernd.
Kendra is the 16-year-old daughter of Peter & Kristi Elsbernd. She has one brother and two sisters. Her family milks 340 cows and sells their milk to Foremost Farms. They raise 600 acres of corn and alfalfa. She is in the 11th grade at South Winn High School where she participates in swimming, FFA, Soda, Cheerleading, Band/Marching band and 4-H. On the farm she likes to help her Dad with the cows and work with the calves, whether it be vaccinations or just feeding them. She loves to play with her dog and run around with her. She enjoys seeing her chickens and seeing how many eggs they have for them. For fun she likes to swim, read, do crafts and knit. Her sponsor is South Winn Vet Clinic. This year there are two
* Little Miss Squirt Candidates: Claire Elsbernd and Emerson Wemark.
Claire Elsbernd is the 9-year-old daughter of Jay and Leslie Elsbernd. She has two brothers and one sister. Her family milks 150 Holstein and mixed breed cows and sells their milk to Foremost Farms. They farm 600 acres of corn, beans and hay. Claire attends 3rd grade at Notre Dame in Cresco. She takes piano lessons, serves at mass and is on the summer swim team. She helps on the farm by feeding calves and watching gates. Her hobbies include reading, art/drawing, riding bike and going to the pool.
Emerson Wemark is the 9-year-old daughter of Eric and Darcy Wemark. She has two brothers and one sister. Her family milks 560 Holstein cows and sells their milk to Foremost Farms. They farm 1,500 acres of corn, soybeans and hay. Emerson attends 3rd grade at Carrie Lee in Decorah. She is a member of the Lincoln Leaders 4-H club, Iowa Junior Holstein Association, shows dairy at the fair, dances for Brenda’s School of Dance, and participates in basketball, soccer and wrestling. She helps on the farm by feeding and moving calves and can often be found in pens that her “pet” cows are in. Her hobbies include playing with her favorite cow, Sprinkles, playing with her cats, drawing and riding bike.