ROSCOE — When you're in the grocery store, make sure to check the nutrition label of cheese, as some cheese is not really cheese at all. You want the real deal—cheese made from milk. That was one of the messages from Sullivan County Dairy Princess Xaira Sennett.

She and Beth Sykes were recently crowned as the Sullivan County Dairy Court last Friday at the Rockland House. A dinner was held in their honor by the Sullivan County Dairy Promotion Committee and local farmers and dairy supporters attended to see the ceremony. Dinner was served by the Rockland House kitchen staff, but of course complemented by pitchers of milk.

The dinner kicked-off with a milk punch social. You might wonder, what is milk punch? It is a brandy or bourbon based beverage usually mixed with sugar and vanilla extract and served cold, similar to eggnog. The drink was first recorded by English politician William Sacheverell in his 1688 travelogue of the Scottish isle of Iona. Later, Benjamin Franklin himself recorded a recipe for the drink in 1763; he used brandy and lemon added to hot milk.

The Dairy Princesses will spend the year promoting dairy farms and products at events in the county. Xaira Sennett is 13-years-old and a seventh-grader at Sullivan West High School. She is the daughter of James Sennett of Jeffersonville. Beth Sykes is 13-years-old and a seventh-grader at Sullivan West. She is the daughter of Amy Sykes of North Branch and Ed Sykes of Lake Huntington. She is a member of the 4-H Moo-Juicers.