Meal a Day Menu for June 11th-15th
Meal A Day Menu
June 11th – June 15th
Monday
Chicken Fried Chicken
Mashed Potatoes
Providence Vegetables
Roll
Tuesday
Spaghetti and Meatballs
English Peas
Garlic Toast
Wednesday
Tater Tot Casserole
Corn
Squash
Tossed Salad
Thursday
Sliced Ham and Dressing
Sweet Potatoes
Green Beans
Roll
Friday
Chili Cheese Dogs
Fritos
Pickle Spear
A Spectacular Night with the Hot Air Balloon Glow: 2018 Dairy Fest
The Balloon glow is always a crowd favorite of the Dairy Festival. This year viewers enjoyed the “Spider-pig” and “Ladybug” as well as many other beautiful hot air balloons. The hot air balloon pilots amused spectators as they lit up their balloons to keep time with the music which played in the background. It was an amazing show that could only be described as spectacular. Several pilots talked with onlookers and explained the ins and outs of flying. The hot air balloons could be seen on flight in mid air through out Sulphur Springs early on Friday evening and also on Saturday morning. Pilots celebrated with the crowd by hosting the balloon glow after nightfall
Melissa and Josh came out for the Ice cream Freeze Off and anxiously anticipated the Balloon Glow with their children Isla and big sister Finley. Josh’s nephew, Brayden passed the time with his uncle playing “tickle fight.” Josh said that he and his family love the Dairy Festival. “It’s great family fun!”
The Hicks family was on hand to celebrate the day. Some of the family traveled all the way from Dallas to visit Grandma and attend the Dairy Festival. The kids favorite event of the day was the parade “because of all the candy we got to catch and eat!” The Hicks family took a time out after the Ice Cream Freeze Off to rest and share stories with each other while waiting for the Balloon glow to start.
Richard and Kendall Woodard of Sulphur Springs brought the family out for the day to enjoy the Ice Cream Freeze Off and secure a good viewing spot for the Balloon Glow. While they waited the children reported their favorite snow cone flavors of the day. Olivia & McKenzie preferred the Cherry and Addison loved the Tiger Blood. Little Brother, Luke was sitting happy as he enjoyed sharing any flavor that that others had tried and the little guy reportedly downed 4 or 5 cups of ice cream prior to that. Richard told KSST that his family always looks forward to the Dairy Festival every year and the kids always get most excited about “seeing the big balloons!”
2018 Dairy Festival Parade: Party till the Cows Come Home
The Dairy Festival Parade matched this years Dairy Festival Theme of “Party till the Cows Come Home” as each float was decorated to resemble many different sorts of parties: Tea-parties, Luau’s, slumber parties, masquerades, and much more! All the floats were creative and had intricate designs. As usual, many of the floats threw candy to the delight of the children in the crowd. The Dairy Museum gave out stress balls in the shape of cute cows, and 1st Choice Home Heath gave out tape measures. Crowds lined the streets eager to watch for their favorite Dairy Festival Queen Contestants, grab some tasty candy, and wave at all those who passed by.
The local businesses participated in the parade sporting classic sports cars, tractors, and 18-wheelers. The local law enforcement lit up the street with their flashing lights and sirens. The fire department would not be out done and brought their new custom built fire-engine to thrill the crowds.
The eight Dairy Festival Contestants had put a lot of thought and effort into their creative floats and were excited to greet the crowds. Reigning Dairy Festival Queen Jaci Reed elegantly waved to the crowds as she sat upon the traditional queen float.
It was an event favored by all who attended the dairy festival this year.
2018 Junior Dairy Show
At the 2018 Junior Dairy Show 26 Local FFA and 4H students in 3rd grade through high school competed to see who raised the best calves this year. Only calves born September 1st or after of last year were eligible to compete. The top 15 placed calves will be sold to the top bidder and the students receive the money. Many of the students try to buy their calves back since they forge strong bonds over months of caring for them. This year the sale will be on June 21st at 1:00. For more information about the sale or winners of the competions contact Amy Bowen at 903-488-2333.
KSST spoke with Johnny Lennon as he watched his grandson, Braden Lennon, whom he lovingly calls “John Wayne” at the Dairy Classic competition “My grandson’s winning” Lennon reports proudly. “This is Braden’s 5th year to compete. He’s won Grand Champion twice. We went to Illinois to get our calf ’cause we don’t have a dairy barn here. Lil John Wayne can sure pick ’em. He has the best calf out there. ” Braden’s mom, Carrie Cherney, applauds as her son passes by leading his prized calf. “Her name is Beverly.” Cherney says of the calf, ” This competition is a good way for kids to learn so much about life. It’s a lot of hard work but Braden loves it!” Braden took home first place in the Classic competition.
Ryan Caudle from Brashear, was on hand to talk with KSST . His son, Rhye, was competing in the Dairy Classic with an Ayrshire calf. The Caudle family dairy runs approximately 60 cows of which 1/2 are of the Ayrshire breed. “Ayrshires can be a little high strung but make great milk cows. They give lots of good butter fat, not as much as Jerseys but close.” “Rhye has shown calves every year for the past 5 years. He picked this one because he thought it would be a good show calf.” Dad says proudly as he points to his son who led a cute brown and white patched calf with lots of freckles across the arena floor. “It’s good experience for kids. Keeps ’em outta trouble!” Caudle says with a smile. 
Caudle’s daughter, Hannah is also involved with the show this year. “She graduated from Miller Grove last year and showed calves while she was in school. Now she helps out because it’s just in her blood!” Dad reports proudly.
Clayton Wallace and Mom, Chris, told KSST about their calf Linda. “She’s a Milking Short Horn, we named her after my Grandma!” reports Clayton. “Grandma Linda raised Milking Short Horns and so do we! I’ve had cows my whole life and this is my second year to show!” Chris explained ” Clayton is the 4th generation in our family to raise Milking Short Horns.” “It’s a very old, heritage breed. One of the oldest breeds in the country. They originated in England and were brought over by the pilgrims. They tend to be more docile than Holsteins” “You never know what color the babies are gonna be, each one is very unique!’ “We like to show everywhere we can. Clayton won National Junior Show in Kentucky last year!” Mom tells proudly. “We love the [Sulphur Springs] Dairy Show! It’s a fantastic show to support our youth and gives calves lots of practice!” The Wallaces have a dairy barn in Emory and run 15-20 cows a year. “i grew up on a dairy farm, it’s a great life! [Showing calves] teaches kids responsibility, respect and to put somethings well being before your self.
Chillin’ at the Ice Cream Freeze Off
Dj Abron and Landry Tyson were all smiles as they helped direct traffic at Shannon Oaks
Friends of all ages visited at the Ice cream freeze off while enjoying an exciting assortment of ice cream flavors. This year’s freeze off brought several hundred people out to the Shannon Oaks Church Lawn where the ice cream cooks had set up in the shade.
There were a variety of flavors for all types of folks. Fruit flavors included Banana, Plum, and Peach. A highly talked about flavor included Vanilla Dr. Pepper. Others included Caramel Macchiato, Cheesecake, Lemon Basil, and S’mores. Novelty flavors included: “Painkiller”, Dill Pickle, and Venom. There were also the classic ice cream staples such as Vanilla, Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Butter Pecan.
KSST caught up with two of the dairy festival contestants: Abbie Peckham and Kaitlyn Ferrell, who were “chillin’” and trying a few of the refreshing treats. Abbie’s favorite part of the Dairy Festival was “making new friends”. Kaitlyn added that while she enjoyed making new friends as well, she also liked “all the opportunities for fun activities!”
Addison and her mom, Crystal
Addison Bower, 3rd place winner in the Little Dip Competition, spoke to KSST about her winning Banana Ice Cream recipe. “Nana was my inspiration” Addison said as she fondly remembered how her Grandmother always makes banana ice cream. This is Addison’s 5th year competing, and she has placed, and won a medal every year. As the 12 year-old looks forward to starting 6th grade in the fall, she plans to enter again next summer and continue to perfect her favorite banana ice cream recipe.
Joyce with her daughter, Laurie
Joyce Lowther, an avid traveler and Winnsboro resident, has recently discovered the Sulphur Springs Dairy Festival. This is her second year to attend, and she has already blocked her calendar for next year’s event. Her daughter joked: “We can’t go anywhere [next year] because we don’t want to miss the dairy festival.” Joyce spoke about the many flavors in the 6 cups of ice cream that she tried. “It was all wonderful.” Her favorite flavors were “Cheesecake and Butter Pecan.” As she looked back on her 93 and ½ years Joyce was eager to impart the secret to a long and happy life which is “Being Optimistic”. Her Daughter, Laurie, laughed and added that it also helps “to have a daughter who takes you places.” Laurie explained that her mother is her best friend, and the two love to travel and do things together, but their new favorite destination is the Dairy Festival.
Ice cream was sampled and enjoyed by all and was the perfect after dinner treat. Dairy Queen provided free soda-floats. Kids and families danced and talked for the perfect end to a summer’s day.
2018 Bobby McDonald Milking Contest
The Annual Bobby McDonald milking contest yielded one of the most productive years to date. The total amount of milk milked for the day was over 160 ounces. Parents milked a total of 99.69 ounces and the contestants milked a combined total of 60.48 ounces. Dairy Festival Queen, Jaci Reed, demonstrated to the new Dairy Festival Queen contestants the best way to milk a cow while the judges set up their table.
2018 Dairy Festival Ice Cream Freeze-Off Winners
Little Dips:
Hot Air Balloons Lift Off Friday Night; Will Again Saturday Evening
Approximately 30 Hot Air Balloons are taking part in the Hopkins County Dairy Festival. Friday night the pilots and crews took advantage of the good conditions to take to the air. They plan to do so again Saturday following the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce Ice Cream Freeze-off. The Freeze-off begins at 5:30 p.m. on the back lawn of Shannon Oaks Church. Balloons will lift following and the glow will begin as the sun sets.
Included on the passenger list of selected balloons were the Dairy Festival Queen contestants. Community volunteers assisted in preparing the envelopes for inflation. According to Carolyn McKinney, President of the Dairy Festival Board, there is a need for crew members Saturday evening to assist in preparing the balloons for flight.
Pilots for the balloons have varied backgrounds but the love of flight awakened their interest in hot air balloon flight.
