2 from Turlock, 1 from Merced seek Dairy Princess title

Three students from Turlock and Merced will compete for the title of District 6 Dairy Princess during ceremonies June 16 at Our Lady of Assumption Hall in Turlock.

The contestants are Marion Carpenter of Merced and Alexia Nunes and Nicole Sanders, both of Turlock.

Nunes is the daughter of Pete and Sandra Nunes. She attends Turlock High School and will start at Modesto Junior College in the summer; she plans to become a veterinarian. Nunes participates in FFA and has shown dairy cattle, dairy goats, swine, poultry and rabbits. She is Turlock FFA president and a member of the dairy cattle judging team, National Holstein Association and Northern California Junior Rodeo Association.

Sanders’ parents are Scott and Sharalee Sanders. She attends Turlock Christian High School and will start Modesto Junior College in the fall. Sanders is a member of her school’s FFA, the American Jersey Cattle Association, California Jersey Cattle Association, Central Valley Jersey Breeders, California Holstein Association and American Computer Barrel Racing Association.

Sanders and her sister have grown their registered herd of Jerseys to more than 150 milking cows and 60 registered calves. She is a member of the dairy judging team and shows dairy cattle throughout California and the nation and competes in barrel races.

Carpenter is the daughter of Michael and Adelia Carpenter. She attends El Capitan High School and participates in FFA. Carpenter shows replacement heifers at the Merced County Fair and showed the grand champion heifer – from her grandfather’s dairy – at the 2015 Merced County Fair. She is also a member of the dairy and vine judging teams. Carpenter also competes in water polo and swim team.

The contestant crowned Dairy Princess will represent the dairy industry in the counties of Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Merced, Alameda, Mariposa, Monterey, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz. She will serve the area as ambassador for the dairy industry at schools, service groups and with the media. The princess and her alternate will participate in a week of training, provided by the California Milk Advisory Board.

The contest is sponsored by the District 6 Dairy Princess Committee and the California Milk Advisory Board. It will begin at 6 p.m. with a no-host social hour, followed by dinner and the contest at 7. To buy tickets, contact Linda Teixeira at 209-634-4500 or 209-402-8305 or Lindsey Nunes at 209-678-2450. Tickets must be purchased by June 13; none will be sold at the door.

This story was originally published May 20, 2016 at 5:07 PM with the headline "2 from Turlock, 1 from Merced seek Dairy Princess title."