South meets North again this weekend in a tradition that has reached 50 years.
The tradition, of course, is the Peanut Butter and Milk Festival, which this year will see nine residents of Hartford, Alabama travel to Litchfield to renew a cultural exchange that began in 1971.
The Peanut Butter and Milk exchange was started by Bruce Cottington, co-owner of Kohlhoff’s Super Valu in Litchfield, as part of a promotion for his grocery store. Each year — with the exception of last year, due to COVID-19 pandemic concerns — it sends Meeker County representatives to Hartford the first week of November. The Meeker group learns about the cotton and peanut butter industries while in Hartford. In turn, the Hartford group travels to Litchfield in early February to learn about the dairy industries.
This year’s festivities officially run Feb. 12-19, with the visitors arriving in Minnesota Saturday and almost immediately beginning their immersion in life in the North.
Each of the visitors will stay with a host family. Kole Bartlett will be host to Will Birdsong and Cole Saunders, Owen Carlson will host Parker Hughes, Claire Loch will host Faith Dillard, Cora Huhn will host Jordan Hurley, and Abby Shoutz will host Alex Hall. Chaperones Mandie Dillard and William and Becky Birdsong will be hosted by Joel and Andrea Leafblad and by Tim and Beckie Simenson, respectively.
The Peanut Butter and Milk Festival gives the nine visitors farm and business tours, as well as the opportunity to enjoy some outdoor winter activities.
The Southern guests will enjoy broom ball and hockey at the Leafblad residence on Saturday evening, and then the public has their first chance to mingle with them on from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Roger and Janet Huhn farm on Lake Manuella for snowmobiling, ATV rides and refreshments.
The group will tour local dairy farms on Monday during Dairy Day, and they will also tour First District Association that day. Another public opportunity for Meeker County residents to connect with with the Hartford visitors is a chili and soup supper that 7-9 p.m. Monday at the Forest City Threshers site. Freewill donations will be accepted at the supper.
On Tuesday, the Alabama visitors will travel to the State Capitol in St. Paul for a tour, and then spend some time at the Mall of America. They will tour Litchfield Public Schools and several Litchfield businesses on Feb. 16. Skiing and tubing at Powder Ridge near Kimball are on the agenda for Feb. 17, followed by a Litchfield/Dassel-Cokato hockey game that evening.
The week concludes Feb. 18 with more tours of Litchfield businesses, coordinated by the Chamber of Commerce. That evening, the public can attend the 50th annual Peanut Butter & Milk Festival Potluck Banquet at St. Philip’s Church Social Hall. It will begin with social time and a silent auction at 7 p.m. and dinner at 7:30 p.m. (Attendees are asked to bring a dish to share). Princess Kay of the Milky Way Anna Euerle of Litchfield will be the featured speaker. The Hartford guests will return to Alabama on Feb. 19.
