Milk Maid

It’s no secret that I love the Minnesota State Fair. Some of my most fond memories have been at the state fair. From showing my cows, to staying in the dorms, to getting my head carved in butter and everything in between, the Minnesota State Fair is one of my favorites.

They don’t call it the “Great Minnesota Get Together” for nothing. When I was there on Saturday, I didn’t have to go more than a few steps to find someone I knew.

During the 4-H rabbit and dairy shows, it was a lot of fun to sit back, relax and take in the great 4-Hers and animals all while also visiting with people I’ve known for years. I’m not the only one, once my grandma got there, I saw her for a second and then she was buzzing around the Coliseum visiting with folks from her and Grandpa’s show days who were also there watching the next generation show.

My favorite new fair food that I tried were “Totchos”. They are basically gourmet nacho tatertots and they were so good!

I found them in the Coliseum during the dairy show. Besides watching the kids show, one of my favorite parts of the day was watching Grady milk his cow Sophie.

I stood outside the glass windows of the milking parlor and while I was there, I met several people that asked me many questions about dairy and I was so happy to speak with them.

Many people are so far removed from agriculture, they thought brown cows like Sophie actually gave chocolate milk.

It was really nice that they were open to asking me questions and listening. That is what the state fair is about. Herdsmanship, or keeping animals and their stalls neat, is a big deal for us.

If you win, you not only get a championship, but you receive some perks like being in the front of the barn. I loved seeing how all the kids were taking pride in how Lyon County presents their animals.

But, the best part was how they worked together. It wasn’t only the dairy kids, but kids from other species along with other counties. That’s what 4-H is all about.

It’s no secret that this summer has been a tough one. Once the kids had secured their state fair trips, I thought “how can we share Donnie Schuelke’s story at the state fair?”

I reached out to the state 4-H staff and inquired about donating trophies in his memory. During the state 4-H dairy show, they always play a slideshow of events and winners.

I had asked about a special slide for Donnie but hadn’t heard anymore about it. When Brooke was in the ring, we saw the slide for the first time. It was so nicely done.

Shortly after, it was time to present the award we sponsored. An FFA advisor that was helping with the show that knew Donnie had asked if she could say a few words while speaking about the award.

Her words were so kind and perfectly captured the person he was. There were few dry eyes in the Coliseum and after she was done speaking and the applause and cheering was overwhelming.

Afterwards, I emailed the state staff thanking them for all their work.

They said, “Thanks so much again for honoring Donnie through awards at the state fair. I hope you find some comfort in knowing that his legacy will live on through other 4-Hers in their career as well.”

Donnie was missed by all this year, especially his brothers Josh and Logan.

We all had to smile, because we knew Donnie was with them during the dairy goat show guiding them. They each brought home champions and we know Donnie wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Even though his wasn’t there physically, Donnie’s legacy will continue to carry on. We’ll all keep doing our best to tell his story.

It was a nice way to start the Minnesota State Fair.