MOHRSVILLE, Pa. – Berks County has a new dairy princess: Maya Bicksler. The daughter of Jonathan and Tiffany Bicksler, she started her reign at the conclusion of a pageant that was held on Saturday, May 2 at the Mohrsville Church of the Brethren.
A 2023 graduate of Tulpehocken High School, she attended Lakeshore College and earned a degree in dairy herd management and dairy business. She was involved in the Tulpehocken FFA and the Western Berks 4-H Dairy Club and is also involved with the Berks County Junior Holstein Club. She is employed at Fantasyland Holsteins where she helps with milking, feeding and cow care. She has three younger siblings, Brooke, Elijah, and A’meya.
Assisting Maya with her duties as Berks County Dairy Princess will be Sarah Wetzel, who was named Alternate Dairy Princess, and Berks County Lil’ Miss Jordie Kelchner.
Sarah Wetzel is the daughter of Steven and Shannon Wetzel. She has four other siblings, Nick, Brooke, Adrianna, and Brittany. She is employed at Shaynah Kee Dairy Farm where she helps with milking, calf care, and whatever needs to be done on the farm. She is finishing her sophomore year at Brandywine Heights High School and is involved in the Brandywine FFA program and serving as vice president.
Jordie is the 6-year-old daughter of Mitchell and Kate Kelchner. She has three siblings, Annie, Janie, and Bradie. Jordie enjoys being on her family’s farm and enjoys all of the animals. She is finishing Kindergarten at Oley Elementary and is starting her second year as the Berks County Lil’ Miss. She’s looking forward to participating in more promotions.
During the pageant, the girls presented a speech and their skits to the those in attendance. Maya did a speech on “From Calf to Cow” and her skit was the next episode on the show Bluey. It was called the Magic in Milk at Miss Calypso’s Market. Sarah’s speech was on Management Strategies for Farmers and the Economy. Her skit was about a time capsule her Grandpa James left in 1870 and comparing dairy farming in 1870 to today’s dairy farming.
In another portion of the pageant, both girls had to answer an impromptu question: “98% of the U.S. population has little to no direct connection to production agriculture. As the Berks County Dairy Princess, how would you reach out to that 98% to bridge the gap and build a stronger connection to the industry?” Sarah answered with not only getting into the elementary schools, but also getting into the high schools. She also mentioned reaching out to senior centers because all age groups need to be reached to bridge the gap. Maya answered with bridging the gap by starting in the schools. Teach the kids and they will go home and talk with their parents. Maya also said to include social media to bridge the gap.
The Berks County Dairy Princess Promotion Committee thanks Brinley Hess, the outgoing dairy princess; Rebecca Berger, Kayla Kehl, Lucy Kerr and Jordie Kelchner who all did a wonderful job of promoting and representing the Berks County dairy industry this past year. They spent countless hours at local events from stores to farms, parades and schools and many other places in between talking to the public about the importance of dairy products in your diet as well as how important the dairy farms are in Berks County.
The emcee for the pageant was Jennifer Grimes, a former Berks County and Pennsylvania State Dairy Princess.
To book the Berks County Dairy Princess to come to your event, please contact Mikayla Orr at 484-388-0348 or mikayla2329@gmail.com.
