Missaukee County Farm Bureau’s Promotion & Education team finished 2024 strong with a trio of events in Lake City and McBain.
Creamery Fun
We started the fall P&E programs for Lake City Elementary students: 28 preschoolers, 84 kindergarteners and 80 first-graders. Maple Leaf Farm and Creamery hosted each group for a fun educational day at the farm, featuring five different learning stations:
- Cheese — Students made their own cheese with spices of their choice.
- Cookies — Students decorated their own fall sugar cookies to take home.
- Pumpkins — I helped students make a pumpkin life-cycle chains, and read them the book “How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?”
- Small Animals — Youngsters fed and played with goats, held ducks and enjoyed other small farm animals.
- Snacks! — Apple cider and cookies for everyone!
Before heading back to the school, each student got a filled-up goodie bag to take home.
The weather was perfect, the students were great, and it was a fun three days autumn!
Trojan Football
Soon thereafter we used a dairy promotion grant from the United Dairy Industry of Michigan to supply chocolate milk for Lake City’s varsity and junior varsity football teams.
Each team has 25 thirsty athletes, all eager to recharge after games.
Thanks to UDIM for awarding us enough grant funds to refuel both squads for all nine games of their 2024 season!
McBain Christmas
Finally, in early December came our first opportunity to take part in McBain’s Small Town Christmas — and it was great! Event coordinators reached out to the Missaukee County Farm Bureau about maybe providing hot chocolate for the public, and once again our friends at UDIM came through with another grant award.
Dec. 8 was a chilly but beautiful evening, with McBain residents enjoying activities including live music, horse-drawn wagon rides, carol singing around the town tree, and a lighted parade!
Hot chocolate and make-your-own s’mores around an open fire was free and enjoyed by scores of locals celebrating the season. Indeed: The good people of McBain do an awesome job reminding everyone of the importance of a community working together to make lasting memories, and we were happy to be part of it, representing local agriculture!
Ellen Vanderwal is Missaukee County Farm Bureau’s Promotion & Education chair.
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