Food+Drink

So Very Dairy: Breakfast in the Valley celebrates our milkiest month

Briana Novacek, photos by Andrea Paulseth |

Frozen custard ... for breakfast? Only in Wisconsin!
Frozen custard ... for breakfast? Only in Wisconsin!

Eau Claire’s annual Breakfast in the Valley comes together through the efforts of more than 300 volunteers and the support of 80 sponsors. Indulge in scrambled eggs with ham, cheese, mushrooms, and onions; muffins; sliced cheese; cheese curds; bananas; and the traditional June Dairy Breakfast treat of corn flakes with Culver’s frozen custard and strawberries. About 7,000 eggs are cooked for the event in skillets crafted by Chippewa Valley Technical College students. This year’s breakfast will have some exciting new additions! Fleet Farm is sponsoring a farmers market with local vendors. There will be business and agricultural product displays, farm animals, door prize drawings, and antique tractors. The Friend of Agriculture Award and Conservation Farmer Award will be given out at the event. The first 2,700 people will get a commemorative Breakfast in the Valley coffee mug, compliments of Eau Claire Energy Co-op, so set your alarms early! There will be a milk-drinking contest with local celebrities, including this year’s Alice in Dairyland and Eau Claire City Council President Terry Weld. The Nellie Holsteins farm family will also be showcasing information about their operation. One of the organizers, Casey Schumacher, says that her favorite thing about Breakfast in the Valley is “seeing our entire community come together in a shared celebration of local agriculture.” Here’s your chance to thank a local farmer! 

23rd Annual Breakfast in the Valley • Friday, June 14 • 5-10am • Eau Claire County Exposition Center, 5530 Fairview Drive, Eau Claire • $8 for adults, $2 for children 3-12, FREE for children 2 and under • tickets available at the door or from the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, 101 N. Farwell St. • eauclairechamber.org