Well done to the Town and Country Dairy Breakfast crew

Continued success comes not just from only doing things well, but in being willing to try new things and embrace change as a way to grow.

For nearly four decades, the organizers of the Taylor County Town and Country Dairy Breakfast have served up heaping portions of omelets, sausages and dairy products to hundreds of visitors to the Taylor County Fairgrounds each June. This year was no exception. The lines of hungry attendees stretched the length of the grader shed and out in the parking lot. The tables remained full of families and community members coming together in one of the social highlights of the summer, while also celebrating the region’s rich heritage of dairy production.

Musicians entertained the crowds and politicians made their rounds shaking hands and talking with local residents.

All these things have been part of the recipe for success that has helped the Dairy Breakfast secure its place in the hearts and minds of the local community over the past 39 years. Small-town dairy breakfasts are the very essence of Americana, as culturally important as Sunday afternoon baseball games in the park and a slice of freshbaked apple pie served with a scoop of ice cream.

The organizers and volunteers are to be commended for their hard work and effort in making the event an ongoing success.

They should likewise be commended for being willing to change up their traditional menu to add French toast and locally produced maple syrup to the line-up in place of the biscuits that have been served in the past.

Judging by the crowd comments and the number of smiling, syrup-smeared faces, this move was well-received. Not only does the addition open up more dairyproduct-themed food — which is always a good thing — but allows the opportunity to highlight the growing importance of maple syrup production as an agriculture product in the county. As a community we must take any chance we can to celebrate local agriculture and the producers who make it all happen.

Organizing and running an event is hard work. It takes time to plan, contact sponsors, line up vendors and make sure everything is ready.

The organizers, volunteers and committee members of the Town and Country Dairy Breakfast make things look easy. Part of this comes from many years of facing and overcoming the inherent challenges of putting on a meal for many hundreds of people. Most of it comes from being willing to do the work needed before, during and after the event — an often thankless and unrecognized labor of love.

Well done to all those involved with the Dairy Breakfast for your 39 years of serving up a summertime tradition and here’s to many more years to come.