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Community Corner

Behind the Scenes with the Dairy Princesses: Q&A With Holly Camozzi

The Dairy Princess Ball is one of the biggest events of the year for the dairy industry and a chance for young women to show off their public speaking and social skills

This Saturday, the 54th Annual District Three will take place at Petaluma’s . I have a soft spot for this event, which plays a key community role in promoting Sonoma County’s dairy industry all year long. 

After the ball, the Dairy Princess and her royal court don’t just stand around looking cute. They become little Ever Ready bunnies on the topics of all things milk, cheese and yogurt. They are incredibly popular at county fairs, where it’s obvious the little kids in 4-H and FFA really look up to them as role models. 

This year’s entrants are all 17-year-old seniors in school and include: Maria Camozzi, Carly Miller, Amanda Moretti and Samantha Spalletta. One of the girls will be crowned by outgoing Dairy Princess, Emilie Strand. If past events are any indicator, it hardly matters who becomes Ag royalty because all the girls win. The training they receive in public speaking and other social skills serve them for the rest of their lives. 

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Behind the scenes in Sonoma County, the North Bay Dairy Women is the powerhouse that organizes Dairy Princess. One committee member, Holly Camozzi, has been involved for two decades. (Holly and Maria Camozzi are distant cousins through marriage.) 

I had to keep it short because it's just hours until the curtain goes up, but Holly Camozzi had a little time to tell me why she is so passionate about the Dairy Princess program.

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Q: Why do so many Petaluma families support Dairy Princess, generation after generation?

HC: I think it stays popular because it is a family event that the kids start going to at a young age, so the girls really want to participate. Ag people especially see the Princess at so many events throughout the year and she is a great spokesperson for the industry that people want to continue to support it.

Q: How long have you been involved in putting on Dairy Princess? How did you get started?

HC: I have been involved with the contest for the last 20 years.  I am originally from San Francisco and married a local farm boy, so I was intrigued at first and was hooked after my first contest.  

Once you get involved, you really see how hard the girls work for this contest. I have never heard one contestant not say what a wonderful experience it is. They learn so much and gain so much confidence it's incredible. People who have never gone before are so amazed at how poised, intelligent and articulate the girls are.  

Even though I've been involved many years, last year my daughter, Regina, ran and I saw a whole other side of the contest and was even more impressed.  She won the scholarship and was 1st Alternate. 

The things she learned from running, going to camp, and the events she participated in this year will stay with her all of her life.  She is at Fresno State this year and is an Ag Ambassador where she uses the skills she learned.  She also made a life-long friend with one of the other contestants and they now are at school together thanks to the contest. 

Q: What the heck is Dairy Princess camp? 

HC: The Milk Advisory Board puts on a skills camp for all of the princesses and alternates throughout the state. The girls have lessons in public speaking, etiquette, tour dairy & PR facilities and are pampered and VERY well fed.  The skills they learn are life skills that will be beneficial in interviews, jobs, social situations and many other life events. 

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It’s hard to think of any other event that brings more Petaluma families --  and more generations of those families -- under one roof. If you would like to honor our county’s  agricultural roots and future and sample some of the best food around, you may still be able to snag a ticket at , or at Jay Palms Saddle Shop in Penngrove. No tickets will be sold at the door.

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