This blog post and its associated photos were originally published in 2014. Some of the information presented below may no longer be valid.
Got milk? No? Well, then, come on over to Rutherford County, TN because they’ve got plenty of it over there! However, they used to have a lot more. Rutherford County has a proud dairy production heritage (which would probably explain the Purity factory) that is almost lost today.
Dairy Day features a host of smiling volunteers who are ready to share their dairy knowledge with the community. From the history of dairy to where the milk comes from to how much milk those sources can produce, Dairy Day will have you thinking of yourself as a milk expert by the end!
Of course, the best part about Dairy Day is the animals. Cows, goats, and sheep dominate the securely fenced-in areas, and they wait patiently for their faces to be rubbed and their sides to be patted while you get your dairy education. I petted them all… I couldn’t not touch.
Delicious cheeses await you after doing all that milking, and there are many games for the kids to play; mostly cow and milk-themed games, of course. When you’re ready, you can even take an “udderly” relaxing hayride outside.
The biggest attraction of Dairy Day is watching the Rutherford County EMS, fire, and police departments compete in the annual milk-off competition. Every team finds itself in an emergency situation when it must battle for points through embarrassing games. Then… they call up the cattle! Leaving no gallon behind, the teams try to squeeze out the most milk in 60 seconds. And it’s winner-takes-all here: One year of FREE Chick-fil-A!
If you missed Dairy Day 2014, make it your mission to catch it next time because these cows and goats won’t milk themselves!
Do you think you’ll go to Dairy Day next year? Have any awesome dairy knowledge we should know about? Leave a comment below and tell us all about it!