Annual ‘Toast to Dairy’ event on June 20 showcases Pennsylvania food and dairy products

Industry organizations have stepped up to support the Center for Dairy Excellence Foundation of Pennsylvania’s annual “Toast to Dairy” event on June 20, which will be held in honor of National Dairy Month. The farm-to-fork celebration will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Historic Acres of Hershey in Elizabethtown, Pa., and support next-generation dairy education programs, including scholarships, internships and curriculum.

 

 

Premier sponsors of the event include the PA Preferred® Program, Savencia Cheese, Land O’Lakes, Turkey Hill and Dave and Janet Hileman. Other sponsors include Wawa, Phibro Animal Health, Herebin & Company Inc. and the Lancaster Dairy Herd Improvement Association. Sponsorship opportunities are still available.

The event will include a showcase of Pennsylvania artisan cheeses, wines and brews, with the Pennsylvania Cheese Guild leading wine and cheese pairings throughout the night. Local artist and dairy supporter Debbie Cornman of Boiling Springs, Pa., will donate her time to do a live art rendering of a local barn scene. The painting will be auctioned during a raffle supporting the Dairy Excellence Foundation.

Entertainment for the evening will be provided by Jake and Robert Myers, otherwise known as Pyxus. The brothers grew up on a dairy farm in Jonesville, N.C., and will be performing dynamic folk rock, Americana and bluegrass music throughout the evening.

Attendees will learn about the Foundation’s “Adopt A Cow” program, which offers classrooms a year-long discovery for students to explore where their food comes from. During the 2018-19 school year, 486 classrooms with more than 25,000 students combined are enrolled in the “Adopt A Cow” program.

Tickets to the “Toast to Dairy” event cost $75 per person. All proceeds from the event will support the scholarships, internships and curriculum offered through the Dairy Excellence Foundation. To purchase tickets, visit centerfordairyexcellence.org/a-toast-to-dairy/.

Companies that want to support the event through sponsorship opportunities should contact Katie Waite, fund development coordinator, at 717-346-0849 or by email at kwaite@centerfordairyexcellence.org.