PIG LICKERS and 150 Year Old Farms

It would appear that there is no recession at the Minnesota State Fair. Last Saturday, the champion beef steer exhibited by a Blue Earth County 4-H er sold for a new record, $14,000. And this writer observed fair goers spending money like crazy on Monday. What a great country we live in when enterprising people can fry up several small pieces of bacon, dunk them in chocolate, and put a label like "Pig Lickers" on them - and get people stand in line to fork over $5.00 for the experience of eating them! If it sells more bacon, I'm all for it.
And speaking of bacon, the Nicollet County 4-Hers who exhibited hogs did well last Saturday. Of the 13 animals exhibited, nine brought home purple ribbons. Way to go - 4-Hers!!!

Nicollet County was in the limelight is several ways at the Great Minnesota Get Together. As part of Minnesota's 150th birthday, the State Fair Chautauqua was presented under the Big Top located near Heritage Square. This professional performance was extremely well done - as it depicted our state's history in a two part presentation. A big part of the production highlighted the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux and one of the few photos of a present day building used in the program was one of the Nicollet County Treaty Site History Center Building. The treaty rock was also highlighted.
Another part of Minnesota's Sesquicentennial was a program sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture which identified and honored farms in the same family for 150 years or more. On Monday, the farms who registered were recognized. The following were recognized from Nicollet County:
Cletus and Rosemary Franta- 1854-New Ulm
Fred and Judy Hanson/Fred and Jan Netz/Ralph and Carolyn Miner-1856-St. Peter
Emilie Lokensgard/Charles Johnson-1857-St. Peter
LouAnn and Perry Meyer-1858-New Ulm
David Rengstorf-1858-Courtland
Howard and Jane Swenson/Paul and Cindy Swenson-1857-Nicollet

There are several more farms in Nicollet County that would qualify, but did not register for this distinction. end