Butch Lerum is leaving Dairy Day Show in good hands
By Carol Stender
cstender@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 07/01/2010 9:12 AM
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SAUK CENTRE, Minn. — The man who saved the Central Minnesota Dairy Day show is leaving the helm.
Butch Lerum says its time to step down as chairman and let someone younger take over. Mike McAndrews is that person. He was Lerum's constant companion at last week's show, watching and learning about all the details that have made the show a success.
Lerum, a technician for Minnesota Select Sires, worked on the show when it was organized through the St. Cloud Chamber. Youth from central Minnesota would gather at the Benton County fairgrounds in Sauk Rapids for the one-day show. In the early 1990s, the chamber decided to drop the show. Lerum, however, didn't want it to end.
His children participated in the event throughout their 4-H and FFA years, he said.
It is one of the first shows of the season and helps prepare exhibitors for fairs and cattle shows during the season. He contacted the Sauk Centre Chamber of Commerce and moved it to the Stearns County fairgrounds the next year.
"I saw the same group of kids come to show cattle in Sauk Centre after we'd moved it," he said. "We have youth from an 18-county area throughout central Minnesota come to take part."
It's a multi-generational event for some families, Lerum said. Some who showed cattle when it started 56 years ago, later helped their own children prepare for the event and now, are seeing their grandchildren participate.
Everyone who has taken part has their own special stories about the event. Lifetime friendships have formed. Jerry and Linda Jennissen met at the event. Jerry was 13 and Linda was nine, Jerry said. Their cattle were tied next to each other. Linda jokes about the fateful meeting, claiming Jerry's calf kept eating her calf's feed.
This year they were watching their 17-year-old daughter Maggie show.
The exhibitor numbers have fluctuated as the dairy industry has changed. Lerum was told there were around 300 youth taking part in the first years of the show. Now the numbers are usually around 100. This year saw a dip to 70 participants.
"It's just a really busy time of year right now," McAndrews said. "There's a lot going on and we've lost a few exhibitors who would normally be here."
Some were at the Gopher Dairy Camp in St. Paul. The month is also filled with other shows and events including the Minnesota Holstein show and the National Holstein Convention in Bloomington later this month.
Regardless of the busy schedule, the Central Minnesota Dairy Day will continue for as long as exhibitors want it and the show can cover expenses. Even though the event isn't in St. Cloud anymore, the chamber donates part of its proceeds from its February farm show. Sauk Centre chamber members continue to offer their support.
As McAndrews and the area's Holstein club take over the organizational duties, Lerum said he won't be far from the show next year. He still plans to help out wherever they may need him.