DAIRY DAYS
By William Freestone
The first Dairy Days held in Plain City was in May of
1926. The purpose was to finance the Plain City baseball team.
William Freestone was the manager for the team with
Elmer Carver, finance, Augus Richardson was coach, Floyd Palmer and Byron
Carver were score keepers, and Rufus Maw, umpire.
The general committee consisted of William Freestone,
chairman for the day, with Elmer Carver, Floyd Palmer, Merwin Thompson, Angus
Richardson, Byron Carver, and Rufus Maw assisting. The entire team also worked
hard to make a successful day.
The day
was well organized. There was a big exhibit of cattle from all around the area,
especially the Holstein Breeders Association. The local dairymen gave full
support to the day.
The afternoon program consisted of a game between
Plain City and Clinton. Horse racing and horse pulling contests were also on
the program. The successful day ended in the evening with a big dance held in
the town hall.
Dairy Days have continued to this day under various
managements.
This information was obtained from William Freestone,
Elwood Skeen, and Walter Christensen.
DAIRY DAYS
By Harold Thompson
Merwin Thompson came to Plain City in 1907. He had
lived briefly in Ogden during which time he worked on a big cattle and sheep
outfit in Eden, Utah. Before that, he lived in Scipio, Millard County.
He ran the farm which was later owned by himself and
his brother, Gordon. This farm was not very level when he and his four brothers
took it over, and they leveled it with horses and fresno scrapers. They then
established a fine irrigation system.
During the 1920's Merwin acquired four fine registered
Holstein heifers from Joseph Skeen of Warren. From this beginning, he developed
a high-producing registered milking herd.
In the late 1920's he helped organize the Plain City
Black and White Days and served for over forty years as a director of that
exhibition. In the beginning, the show was for Holste-in-Friesias Cattle only.
Later, it was expanded to include all dairy cattle.
At the time of his death, his dairy farm, dairy
buildings and dairy was one of the best farms in Weber County.
DAIRY DAYS
By Floyd Palmer
This was first known as Plain City Black and White
Day. It was sponsored by the Plain City Farm Bureau, as a fund raising
project for the baseball team. Later, it was sponsored by Holstein Breeders and
the Plain City Farm Bureau. The financial help came from local people and
business firms in the area.
Members of the Ogden Chamber of Commerce, along with
the "Ogden Livestock Show" committee and the Weber: County
Commissioners, all became interested in lending their support to the growing
need for an expanded show. These people were influential in getting the three-county
shows (Jersey Show, Coliseum-Guernsey Show, Huntsville-Holstein Show, Plain
City) to combine their shows, and this is how it became known as the
"Plain City Dairy Day."
This move with the support of local people reaching
out for help, was the means of getting the Weber County Commissioners and the
State Legislature to give financial help for the show. It is also supported by
many individuals and firms in a financial way. The officers now consist of the
following:
MANAGEMENT
Orlo
S. Maw . . . . . . . . . Manager
J.
W. Hatch . . . . . . . . . Secretary
Floyd
A. Palmer . . . . . . . Treasurer
Harold
Thompson. Tharold Quale, Fay Boyer . Invitations
Lee
Olsen . . . . . . . . . . Finance Chairman
DIRECTORS
Byron
Thompson . . . . . . . . Holstein Department
Ronald
R. Smout . . . . . . . Guernsey Department
Verl
Poll . . . . . . . . . Jersey Department
Burns
Wangsgard . . . . . . . Junior Department
Plain City has become the home of one of the largest
Dairy Shows in the State of Utah. It is held annually around the middle of May,
and is open to all breeds of dairy cattle. The opening day is devoted to the
Junior division. This is limited to bona fide 4H Club members and F.F.A. Future
Farmers only. The second day is designated for the Open division. It is also
held under strict rules, such as, Registration Certificates, State Health
Standards are required, including Health Certificates and blood tests.
The management is well planned and organized. It
consists of General Management, Directors, Clerks, and special committees,
Finance, Premiums and Entries, Junior Department, Junior Judging Classes,
Publicity, Cattle Supervisor, Grounds and Dinner, Special Awards Committee, and
Tractor Driving Contest.
Many of the very finest dairy herds in the State of
Utah are on exhibition here.
The
judging is by top quality judges, usually out of state judges are used for the
open division. The junior department is also very selective to get the best
judges possible. Rules adopted by the Purebred Cattle Association of Utah are
strictly enforced for the Open Division. The Junior Division is placed
according to the Danish System of judging.
The Junior Division exhibits 150 to 175 animals. The
Open Division exhibits 250 to 200 animals. The breeds are mostly Holstein,
Jersey, Guernsey, and Brown Swiss. Cash awards run from $1600 to $2000. Ribbons
are also awarded in both Open and Junior Divisions. Special awards are given to
the juniors in Fitting and Showmanship, Outstanding Exhibitor, Best Club Group
of Animals, (five animals owned by at least three exhibitors.)
One of the outstanding special awards is the Frank M.
Browning Memorial award. A Swiss Cow Bell is given to the outstanding 4H
exhibitor, Other special awards are: Lynn Richardson Award to the outstanding
F.F.A. Exhibitor; Smoot Dairy Award which is a special prize to the 2nd and 3rd
place 4H boy in fitting and showmanship; Five Points Drug Company which is a
special prize to the 2nd and 3rd place F.F.A member in fitting and showmanship;
Utah Holste-in-Friesian Association Award, which is a trophy for the three best
females bred and owned by exhibitor: Weber Chapter F.F.A. which is a belt to
the F.F.A. exhibitor taking best care of his exhibit: Read Bros. Halter to the
4H member under 13 years of age placing highest in fitting and showmanship:
John Chugg Halter to the 4H member placing highest in showmanship only: C. W.
Cross Gift Certificate to the F.F.A. boy placing highest in fitting and
showmanship: Curtis Breeding Service Halter to the 4H club member over 13 years
of age placing highest in fitting and showmanship: Federal Land Bank Award to
Grand Champion Cow: Commercial Security Bank: Production Class, 14 cash awards
and ribbons. .
Mr. Robert P. Stewart, Principal of the Plain City
Elementary School takes a very active part in the success of Dairy Days. For
several years Mr. Stewart has organized a dairy class at the school. Paul
Knight has furnished the facilities. The calves have beep furnished by Paul
Knight and Archie Hunt. The school instructors have been Ray Hull and Steven
Gertsch. Both boys and girls have entered the Dairy Class activity. In addition
to oral instructions, they feed, groom, care and prepare the calves to be shown
in the ring to be judged. As many as 25 very enthusiastic youth have taken
part. The award money has been divided among the participants.
The Plain City School, under the direction of
Principal Stewart, has served an annual Dairy Day Dinner. This has been an
outstanding attraction to many state and local officials, business, and dairy
people. The food is always delicious and the service is excellent. Fresh-grown
Plain City asparagus is always included in the meal.
The faculty and P.T.A. operate the concession stand on
the park for the two-day dairy show. This serves a worthwhile purpose for the
school and those attending the day's events. The school children have beee
good, to help clean the grounds after.
Since this Dairy Days started, small dairy herds have
almost become extinct. They have been forced to grow larger and develop better
grades of producing animals. We now have dairy herds entering this show from
Utah dairy farms that are recognized as top dairy herds of the nation. They
also exhibit their cattle at national shows.
The Plain City Town Board takes an active part in
helping to promote the success of Dairy Days. The last few years they have
provided help to put up the tie racks, take them down, and clean up the
grounds. Over the years, the Dairy Day
Committees have replaced the old pole fences with a new set of painted tie
racks that can be moved after the show is over. They also have a movable
loading chute for the cattle.
The 1977 Plain City Dairy Days will be listed on the
program as the Forty-Eighth Annual Show. This takes it back to 1929 for the
beginning of Plain City Black and White Days. It would seem appropriate to list
and give credit to some of the management people that have served fifteen years
or more. They include:
Ralph Robson Merwin
Thompson
Clair Folkman Floyd A.
Palmer
Lee Olsen John
Chugg
J. W. Hatch Fay
Boyer
Robert (Bob)
Penman Edgar
Smoot
Verl Poll Clifford
Smout
Mary
Papageorge Kogianes Burns Wangsgard
Lynn
Richardson Byron Thompson
A.
L. Christensen
Plain City has the largest all-breed dairy show in the
State of Utah.