[July 22, 2011] Got milkshake? It's the drink Stanislaus fairgoers wait for all year Tweet TURLOCK, Jul 22, 2011 (The Modesto Bee - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Sure, the beer gardens at the Stanislaus County Fair are generally hopping. And the wine and margaritas have their fans. But the bar with the longest lines most days serves something you don't have to be 21 to get. The 4-H Milk Bar is a long-standing tradition at the fair and its shakes and milk drinks a must-have for many regulars who come back year after year. Members of 4-H and their friends serve strawberry shakes, brown and purple cows (root beer and boysenberry, respectively), buttermilk and, the biggest seller, the chocolate shake. The bar sells about 1,000 drinks each day, said Irene Ulm, who has overseen the milk bar operation for 12 years. "We're busy from when we open at 10 (a.m.) to 11 at night," she said. High school members of Stanislaus County 4-H clubs take turns managing the bar, scheduling volunteers for three-hour shifts. Adult volunteers supervise. "Day chairs," as they're called, work full days, earning community service hours and potential scholarships. You'd think that, after days of nonstop shake-making, the workers would be sick of them. But that's not the case. "I want one!" exclaimed Brittni Burton, 17. Her favorite: strawberry. Though Ulm has a long history with the milk bar, she's not its biggest customer. "I'm not a huge fan of milk," she said. "I'll have a sip, but I usually end up giving my shake to my husband." The milk bar is across from the free stage, and workers setting up for concerts have become fans of bar products. On Tuesday night, Ulm said, country singer Clay Walker gave the bar a shout from the stage, declaring its shakes "the best in the West." What's the key to the frosty deliciousness? It might be the fact that each one contains a pound of ice cream. A sign on the wall posts the recipe: 2 pounds of ice cream, one cup of milk, four squirts of syrup. All of that goes into a Baskin-Robbins blender -- organizers bought the special blenders to make the work go faster -- that produces two shakes. The shakes go into a freezer, then are quickly plucked out for waiting customers. All those shakes result in some impressive cash: The milk bar brings in $10,000 to $15,000 over the fair's 10-day run. That money goes toward scholarships, transportation fees to Camp Sylvester, the annual 4-H getaway, and community efforts such as buying gifts for needy children at the holidays. One perk of working at the milk bar: You get to make your own shakes. "I like to mix strawberry and chocolate," said Kaitlyn Mahn, 17. "I can't decide between them." Bee staff writer Patty Guerra can be reached at [email protected] or (209) 578-2343. To see more of The Modesto Bee, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.modbee.com/. Copyright (c) 2011, The Modesto Bee, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]