What’s better than ice cream? How about 90 gallons of ice cream! The lucky folks of Harrisburg, Pa. were on-hand to see the annual building of a giant ice cream sundae, made to honor the Commonwealth’s hard-working dairy farmers. Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Dennis C Wolff kicked-off the event by reading an official proclamation from Governor Rendell declaring June as Dairy Month.
Hundreds of consumers joined the festivities at the Capitol Building beginning at noon and ending with the last serving of ice cream. The annual salute to dairy farmers is sponsored by Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program, who work together to build demand for dairy products.
To kick off the event, Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Dennis C Wolff, Pennsylvania Dairy Princess Lyndsey Royek and dairyman Jeff Grove spoke on behalf of the state’s dairy industry and dairy farmers.
Following the opening remarks, dairy promotion staff and dairy princesses created the giant sundae using 90 gallons of Turkey Hill vanilla ice cream. The sundae was covered with 10 gallons of chocolate fudge, 10 gallons of strawberries and 30 pounds of chopped pecans, all donated by Turkey Hill Dairy of Lancaster. Wolff and the dairy princesses topped off the sundae with real whipped cream and a giant 12-inch ball of cherries.
Dairy is the largest segment of Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry, generating more than $1.56 billion in economic activity. Milk is the official beverage of the Commonwealth.