The opening of the Indiana State Fair marks the return of one of its best-loved dining destinations: American Dairy Association Indiana’s (ADAI) famous State Fair Dairy Bar.
For decades, fairgoers have bellied up to the bar to grab their favorite Hoosier dairy delights: scrumptious grilled cheese sandwiches, rich and creamy signature milkshakes, thirst-quenching ice-cold milk, hand-dipped ice cream, and more.
Dairy Bar fans anxiously await announcement of its featured grilled cheese and milkshake each year. In 2022, fairgoers will feast on the Quick Quesadilla served with Indiana’s own Red Gold salsa, and cool those same tastebuds with the Mint Cookie Milkshake served with crumbled Girl Scouts Thin Mint Cookies. A portion of every Mint Cookie Milkshake sold will benefit Girl Scouts of Central Indiana.
A favorite Dairy Bar feature for moms visiting the fair: their youngsters’ sippy cups always are filled for free!
The State Fair Dairy Bar is located on Main Street opposite the Indiana Farmers Coliseum. It’s open daily during the fair’s run, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Another “must see” State Fair attraction is inside the Ag-Hort Building where internationally renowned cheese carver Sarah Kaufmann – “The Cheese Lady” – will be creating another masterpiece out of a ton of cheese from Crawfordsville’s Pace Dairy.
This year’s work of art pays homage to the fair’s theme saluting Indiana’s automotive heritage. IndyCar Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden’s image will be depicted in the carving – a nod to the dairy association’s long relationship with the Indianapolis 500, the Victory Circle Bottle of Milk Tradition and ADAI’s Fastest Rookie of the Year award program (Newgarden was recipient of the Fastest Rookie Award in 2012).
The public is invited to watch the sculpture take shape as Kaufmann works from inside a cooler daily during the early days of the fair. Official unveiling of the cheese masterpiece is set for noon on Wednesday, Aug. 10. Newgarden will be on hand to assist in the unveiling.
For more information about American Dairy Association Indiana and its Hoosier dairy farm families, visit WinnersDrinkMilk.com.