A toast to 70 years

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — What began 70 years ago as an idea by a group of dairy farmers to showcase milk has grown into a Minnesota State Fair tradition.

“For Minnesota’s dairy community, the All-You-Can-Drink-Milk stand represents both tradition and purpose,” said Corey Scott, CEO of Midwest Dairy. “We are deeply grateful to the dedicated volunteers who make this experience possible and to the Minnesota dairy farmers whose pride in their product is evident with every sip. The state fair offers an unparalleled opportunity to connect with consumers on a large scale, allowing us to share the story of dairy and the hardworking people behind it with millions each year.”

In recent years, about 20,000 gallons of milk have been served to Minnesota State Fair goers every year at the red barn-style All-You-Can-Drink-Milk stand. Although the stand just sells one product — milk — it has been voted a fan favorite, receiving a Minnesota State Fair Best Award.

Dave Thompson sat on the board of the American Dairy Association of Minnesota from 1975 until 1995 and served as president from 1985 through 1995.

“The purpose of the milk stand was to showcase the good taste and value of milk,” Thompson said. “We saw the importance of promoting our own product: milk. We always referred to it as the best buy at the state fair. We were proud of that.”

The original milk stand — a tent with a milk truck parked outside — opened in 1955 at the north end of the fairgrounds on what is known as Machinery Hill.

“Back when I was in 4-H, the milk stand, malt stand and Princess Kay butter sculptures were on the east side of Machinery Hill, north of the 4-H building,” Thompson said.  “We all thought it was pretty neat to walk over there and see the butter sculptures and get a malt.”

The price for a glass of milk started at a dime, then increased to 50 cents, a dollar, $2, and then settled at its current price of $3.

Thompson said it was the early 1960s when the tent-like milk stand moved locations to the south end of the fairgrounds, kitty-corner from the Lee & Rose Warner Coliseum. The milk stand still occupies that same location today. In 1990, the decision was made to build a permanent building. The ADA of Minnesota, which later became the ADA/Dairy Council of the Upper Midwest and is now Midwest Dairy, used the funds from the stand to construct the new building.

“We wanted to build a building that was in the shape of a one-pint milk carton,” Thompson said. “That would have been neat, but the state fair said no, so we went with an octagonal design that was shorter.”

Every morning, a milk truck came to the fairgrounds to deliver fresh milk and stayed parked there all day, as there was no on-site storage to keep such a large amount of milk cold. A hose connected the truck and the stand where attendants inside pulled a lever to fill cups with milk.

“We would get bids from 8-10 milk processors for consideration to have their milk served at the state fair,” Thompson said. “Their milk truck would sit there all day, so it was a good promotion too.”

The stand only served white milk until 2004, when the new red barn was built in the same location, this time with on-site storage. Chocolate milk was added to the menu as well. Today, more chocolate milk is sold than white milk. In 2022, the All-You-Can-Drink Milk stand served around 8,000 gallons of 2% white milk and 10,000 gallons of 1% chocolate milk.

“It’s been a great promotion for the dairy industry over the years,” Thompson said.

The current red barn-styled facility features a second story where milk is stored in 10 300-gallon totes. More than 200 feet of stainless-steel pipe carry the milk from the totes to the pour spouts below. The milk stand is primarily staffed by Minnesota dairy farm families and is owned by Minnesota’s dairy farmers through the check-off program and Midwest Dairy. The University of Minnesota Agricultural Education, Communication and Marketing Club recruits and organizes the volunteers who serve milk the 12 days of the Minnesota State Fair.

“When I would work in the stand, people would always comment, ‘Wow, this is really good milk. Where do you get it?’” Thompson said. “The secret isn’t even a secret; the reason it’s so good is because it is served so cold. Hardly anybody gets milk that cold. It makes a difference when the milk is served at 35 or 36 degrees versus 45 or 46. That’s part of the message we wanted to share. It is really cold and refreshing for state fair goers.”