Out for Breakfast

Guests parked in a recently cut alfalfa field. 6/8/24 dwm

As we turned left on Patton Road, we joined a building line of hungry people anxious to eat. The Blue Star Dairy farm near DeForest was hosting Dane County's 45th annual Breakfast on the Farm.

When you invite a lot of people over, you need places for them to park. On a farm that space is usually a hay field or pasture that is cut before the event then expected to recover for the rest of the season.

It wasn't 8:30 in the morning yet when we got there but there was a good crowd. There wasn't a wait to purchase tickets but it took nearly 20-minutes in line to reach the food.

1 of 4 food lines. dwm

 You shouldn't be hungry leaving the breakfast. There are pancakes, cheesy scrambled eggs, sausage links, yogurt, cheese, white and chocolate milk, plus ice cream. I took it easy, bypassing the yogurt, saving it for later.

 When you have a plate in hand thoughts of the wait waft away and once you have a full-plate you can usually find a place to sit quite easily inside the cleaned up pole-building pressed into duty as a dining room.

 It's an impressive operation with three huge griddles where the eggs are prepared; several large flat-top grills where flap jacks are flipped. It takes dozens of volunteers to run smoothly, including the host families who do a ton of work getting a working farm ready to host such a big event.

 In addition to the food there are exhibits and displays designed to appeal to farmers and city-folk. There are contests; a queen was crowned; and music.

Some of the tractors on display. dwm photo

We usually walk around the farm to see the livestock, the vintage tractors on display; and get a dish of Chocolate Shop ice cream. I gave my wife the keys so she could head to the car while I headed for the ice cream.

15-minuteslater, it seemed odd when she wasn't sitting in the car. The field had rows with more than 150 cars, if I had to guess, it may have been 200. I stood by our car, walking into the rows on either side as l as up toward the road looking for her. She didn't have her phone, so it was an old-school search.

I didn't want to get away from the car since that was her destination, but after ten more minutes I walked up the row again.  This time I found her. That wasn't the end of adventure, however.

Breakfast on the farm. 6/8/24 dwm

 It didn't rain hard yesterday but light rain and heavy traffic wore the alfalfa down to the mud which was slicker than slick. Cars near the top of the hill spun their tires requiring people to get out and push. 

 

 I tried to keep two wheels on alfalfa but there were times it was just mud. We helped push a couple cars uphill. When our car's wheels spun, my wife gamely got out and made a difference in regaining traction. 

 

 (Editor's note: At that time we were close to another vehicle she didn't want to chance sliding into, so I was driving.)

 

Less than half of the dining 'room.' 6/8/24 dwm

It was an hour before we left. The hosting farm family was a big help, using tractors and wagons to
dump bedding on the muddy parking lanes to add more traction. 

 

For those of us who didn't grow up on a farm it was a lesson of  how many responsibilities are on a farm. it's a little surprising that ice-like conditions was one of them in June.

You never know what kind of weather you'll get during June in Wisconsin - hot, cold, rain, sun, or slippery - I'm hoping for sunshine at next year's breakfast.