Dairy Days Ice Cream Social

Dairy Days Ice Cream Social! Honoring Fathers on Fathers Day, June 17, 2011, 4 to 6 PM

Come and eat very special Guernsey ice cream at an old fashioned ice cream social on Sunday afternoon, June 17, 2011, 4:00 PM.  SPECIAL TREAT for Father's Day:  Father's (or any reasonable facsimilie thereof) eat ice cream for free that afternoon.  RESERVATIONS REQUIRED!  See and meet the "Guernsey Girls",  Guernsey cows from the last 100% Guernsey herd in Pennsylvania which will be visiting historic Harriton for the week.  The ice cream to be served is Yoder's Ice Cream, made in Lancaster County  from rich Guernsey milk and cream.   Don't miss it!  $5.00 per person, $15.00 for families (Dad's eat free!)

From 1909 until almost 1930, Harriton was known as the Harriton Guernsey Dairy. This farm, which provided rich milk and cream to the neighborhood, was  an active and important participant in a flourishing dairy industry in southeastern Pennsylvania. Today  we are familiar with concerns about our food supply and the debates over pesticides, growth hormones, and unpronouncable chemical names listed as ingredients in what we eat.  This is not the first time that the American public has become aware of  what is in our food.  You may remember reading Upton Sinclair's The Jungle when you were in high school.  The growth and quality of Pennsylvania's modern dairy industry is directly related to similar concerns for milk at the turn of the 20th century, and the Harriton Guernsey Dairy  was part of that evolution. We will explore through programs and an exhibit the early 20th century dairies in and near Lower Merion Township, including herd types, estates, and a collection of embossed milk bottles from 35 dairies - only one of which still sells milk today (can you guess which one?).  We will have programs for children,  a trip to a dairy farm, Guernsey cows visiting the Harriton park ,  a small exhibit of old milk bottles and dairy equipment,and the ice-cream social.  Reservations required - phone 610 525 0201