Even though the Tri-County Dairy Breakfast won’t be held until this June during National Dairy Month, it’s already on the minds of the volunteers having just attended an appreciation dinner that’s held each year at the Prime restaurant in Trego. It’s organized by the same people who arrange the huge, annual task of putting on the breakfast, Barb and Bill Ailport, along with their daughters, Angie, Gina and Suzie.
Before the Ailports it was the intrepid Donna Ness and husband Norman, who started out in 1994 by helping with a breakfast and the next year it was at their farm. After that, she was in charge until 2009 when the Ailports took over and have been running it ever since.
Not only are the 64 volunteers honored at the annual dinner, but the sign-up sheet is right at the door so it’s easy to sign up for another year.
This annual event, which began in 1981 at the Don and Charlotte Furchtenicht farm, moved from farm to farm for years, but after the mad cow disease scare back in 2001, it moved to its permanent location at the fairground in Spooner. Back when it was a farm venue, owners would spend weeks cleaning up and cleaning out outbuildings for the event that started out by serving only 550 breakfasts. All the food, the grills, the volunteers, the tables, everything was hauled out to the farm, hooked up, served, and then cleaned up and hauled away.
Each year the grocery list has grown for now there are often as many as 1600 attendees who scarf down; 70 lbs. of pancake mix, which makes 4 thousand pancakes, and 300 lbs. of sausages, or if you count them, 5000 sausages. Other items include 8 gallons of maple syrup, 30 lbs. of strawberries, almost 5 cases of cranberry juice, 80 lbs. of cheese and 90 lbs. of cottage cheese. Also served are 600 pieces of string cheese, 1500 cartons of milk and 25 lbs. of honey. And ice cream? How about 108 gallons? All those groceries used for a four hour breakfast.
It’s a bit easier now with the 4-H food stand having water, refrigerators, electricity and large sinks at the ready and the bulk of the equipment, large and small, is stored in a large truck ready for off-loading.
Since its inception the goal has always been the same, to bring town and country folks together one day a year while celebrating the dairy industry and all the great foods of Wisconsin.
Between 6:30 am and 10:30 am, there is food to eat until you burst, horse-drawn wagon rides to experience as well as the kiddie barn where those who do not come in contact with farm animals every day can pet the calves and the bunnies and the other critters.
Harry Dahlstrom always brings his barrel train to give rides to the little kids and the Red Hat ladies dish up bucket after bucket of various kinds of ice cream.
There’s face painting and games and silent auctions, dairy recipes and door prizes, and there’s also a ton of garbage, 4 filthy grills and nearly a hundred greasy pans to wash.
There are tables to wipe, floors to wash, coffee to pour and endless pancake batter to make. And it takes a team to do it. These are folks who leave their beds at 5:00 am just to get to the fairgrounds where the Ailports have already been for hours.
It’s a labor of love and a salute to the hard-working ethics of Wisconsin folks who do it every year so Tommy Ray can sing his songs and visitors can glimpse a little bit of country life.
If you’re interested in Wisconsin history, in 1937 a National Milk Month was created to help stabilize the dairy demand when production was at a surplus. Now it’s developed into an annual tradition that celebrates the contribution the dairy industry has made to the world, and with a more encompassing name, National Dairy Month; On Wisconsin!
And you might like to know there are still a few spots to fill on the volunteer list for both men and women and Barb would love to hear from you. Call her at 715-822-8805 and be in the picture next February at the annual thank you dinner at the Prime.
Last Update: Feb 21, 2017 7:13 am CST
