Great Plains Cheese & Ice Cream Festival returns with biggest event yet

This paid event listing is sponsored by the Great Plains Cheese & Ice Cream Festival.

After taking a year off in 2020, the popular Great Plains Cheese & Ice Cream Festival returns bigger than ever this weekend.

It’s held at Strawbale Winery from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14.

“Strawbale Winery has evolved over the years, and we wanted to include families to come out to our country setting and enjoy our brand: ‘Experience life in slow motion!’ In these hard times, we all need to enjoy our time together as families,” co-owner Susie South said.

“Parents with young children need to put to memory the present because memories of fun times can fill you with smiles as you watch them grow. Grandparents with young grandchildren need to spend time with their families to get them through the aging process, and then, they too can remember their happy family times when their kids were young. Ice cream and cheese is something that all ages can enjoy and bring back those memories.”

Here’s a list of vendors whose products you’ll be able to try at the festival:

• Dimock Dairy
• Babybel (Bell Brands)
• Kasemeister Creamery
• Stensland Family Farms
• SDSU Ice Cream Truck
• Redhead Creamery
• Blue Bunny Ice Cream

This year, the festival itself will offer even more to do. There’s Blue Bunny bingo, a Stensland-themed walk, Pony Hop inflatables, farm animals and face painting.

You’ll also find kid-friendly food trucks and hear from the band Do Not Resuscitate.

The festival also benefits two important causes this year.

In 2019, the festival raised more than $12,000 to support the Family Visitation Center, which exists to help empower children to maintain healthy relationships with their family members through safe, supervised visitations and exchanges.  Children served by FVC have been caught in the middle of complicated family dynamics like divorce, domestic violence or substance abuse.

“In a child’s world, this translates to being safe, playing games and seeing a parent that would never have happened. It’s not their fault their family is torn apart,” South said, adding she was inspired by kids’ testimonials such as these:

“My heart was broken, but now it’s better.”  — Dylan, age 5.

“This is my favorite place.  I get to see my dad, and my mom doesn’t cry anymore.” — Ben, age 6.

“Oh, good.  We’re going home.  Home is where your family’s all together.” — Grace, age 11 upon being picked up at school for a transport to her visit at FVC.

The festival also will benefit Camp Bring It On, which is the region’s only residential camp for pediatric cancer patients and survivors. The camp’s goal is to give these kids a sense of normalcy and camaraderie, all while delivering Sanford Health’s top-notch medical care. It gives kids the gift of being able to enjoy swimming, archery, games, crafts and horseback riding.

“In a child’s world, this translates to dirt between their toes, cold water on their faces, a furry friend beneath their palms and the sun warming their backs,” South said.

“Both of these worthy charities we’re supporting this year are sadly very necessary to help kids be kids.”

To learn more and for ticket information, click here.