It?s All Over? My Time at the Dairy Council & Fairs That Is!

Written by guest blogger, Jessica Stoscup, Ball State University Dietetic Intern.

Throughout the past four weeks I have gotten to experience many different things, from being on the radio to going to my first county fair there has never been a dull moment. One of the last opportunities I had was to visit the Indiana State Fair.

Arriving at the fair, we were just in time to see the unveiling of the 1500 pound cheese sculpture. There was a huge crowd eagerly waiting to see the completed work of art including Buttercup, the Indiana Dairy Council?s mascot, and Blue, the Indianapolis Colts mascot. Upon unveiling, cameras clicked galore!!  Everyone wanted a picture with the cheese depicting the Fuel Up to Play 60 school wellness program. After about an hour the crowd dispersed, Buttercup and Blue left, but that didn?t stop a constant flow of people coming into the Our Land Pavilion to see the display.  Everyone kept asking us where the cheese sculpture was and we ushered them around the corner.  Before leaving the dairy exhibit though, guests were thrilled to pick up dairy recipes, coloring pages, and the cheese shaped jar opener.  What seemed like hundreds, people said that they needed a new jar opener and the fact that is was shaped like Swiss cheese made it even better.  Many families and fair goers also had the opportunity to learn more about the Fuel Up to Play 60 program and many took the time to answer some quick questions on our quiz board about the program.

Ever try a CHOCOLATE PIG? I know I hadn?t!  The recipe was developed because the theme of the fair this year was, the Year of Pigs! This dish consisted of vanilla custard with chocolate sauce, toasted almonds, and yes, bacon bits.  When I was first handed the dish, I timidly poured a little bit of the bacon/almond mixture and took my first bite.  It was so good; the mixture of sweet, salty, and creamy filled my mouth.  I ended up pouring the rest of the bacon and almond mixture on.  For all you skeptics, you?ve got to try it!!!!

Later that evening, I got to ride on American Dairy Association of Indiana?s ?dairy? float.  Joined by the Dairy Princess and two other Dairy Council employees, we road on the float, which included a barn and a cow riding a racecar through the fairgrounds. Along the parade route tons of people waved back, and some even yelled that they love milk and drink it everyday!  Elles Niessen, the new dairy princess, made this experience so much fun.  She taught me how to wave to crowds and calmed down any nerves I had. She?s always willing to talk to kids and was looking forward to working in the Dairy Bar. I can?t wait to see what she does during her reign this year and further on in life!

Thanks to everyone at the Dairy & Nutrition Council of Indiana who helped make my 4 week internship so memorable!