The Sherburne County Fair starts this week, and wherever there’s a fair, there’s food.
Sherburne County 4-H’ers are making sure visitors to the fair will have lots of tasty food - and great service.
“We’ve revamped the foodstand this year,” says Sherburne County 4-H Coordinator Joe Rand. “And we’ve scaled back the menu a bit so we can provide hotter, better food.”
Wednesday evening, about 60 4-H’ers, parents and adult volunteers took part in food training night at the foodstand. They practiced cooking, serving and clean-up, all in preparation for the fair.
“They’re learning how to make burgers, how to make fries, how to make cheesecurd, how to prep things and clean up stuff,” said Rand. “And we taste-tested everything.”
Even with a scaled-back menu, the foodstand has a big selection at reasonable prices. Along with the traditional burgers, fries and hot dogs, there are chips, pop, Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream and three different kinds of pie.
“We have strawberry rhubarb, chocolate pecan, an Oreo pie,” says Rand. Six of the nine clubs in Sherburne County are represented at the foodstand, although it is not a requirement. The money raised goes to the 4-H Federation in Sherburne County.
“It’s used for programming and scholarships for kids for different events like going to camp or the state fair,” says Rand.
The kids re-named the foodstand the “Clovey Corner.” The inside has been changed a bit and so has the outside, with a big new sign and a freshly-planted garden.
“We spruced up the outside with a grant from the Sherburne County Solid Waste Advisory Council for going green - recycling all paper products and food waste.
Rand believes visitors will like the new look and new menu.
“We have a whole new group people running things,” he says. “We’re trying to get people excited about the foodstand and the experience for the kids.”
