RHINEBECK, N.Y. — Hello, Patrick, here, about to tell you all a little secret, but let’s keep it between us, okay? The milkshakes at the Dutchess County Fair are the best in the world! Well, it depends on who you ask, some people (my wife included) would say, maybe not. I think they are pretty good. Scratch that, REALLY good!
Not going to lie, I love them! The chocolate one is the best! Although, from what I have heard the two other flavors – vanilla and strawberry – are equally great!
Growing up in the Hudson Valley, standing in line on Livestock Hill to get those famous milkshakes was a rite of passage. To a lot of people, waiting in the long line is unreasonable by today’s standards, but trust me it was worth the wait.
As a kid, I believed those milkshakes had the power to heal, I believed that whatever ingredients they use can cure anything. During fair week I was always plagued with seasonal allergies and having a chocolate milkshake always made me feel better. To further prove my claim of the power to heal, one time, in middle school, one of my friends and I went on the Grav-a-tron ( that lovely amusement ride that spins you around so fast that you are held against the wall as the floor drops) and he felt kind of queasy. I felt that after that ride, he needed something to settle his stomach and I gave him the rest of my shake and sure enough, he was good as new and ready to go off tearing down the midway to our next great adventure.
These” healing” ingredients are not magical at all. They are made with a mixture of milk and ice cream, with 13 percent butterfat, compared to the 6-7 percent found in most milkshakes, as Harry Baldwin, member of the Dutchess County Dairy Committee told the Poughkeepsie Journal in 2016. The proceeds from the sales of the milkshakes go to the benefit of Dutchess County agricultural students. At the stand, they keep a running tally of how many they have sold during the Fair. They were priced pretty reasonably. Last year they were $4.25. The famous milkshakes have been a staple at the Dutchess County Fair since the 1970s. From the moment our family moved to Dutchess County in the early ’80s, those milkshakes were a staple in my life too. Our family went to the fair every summer until I went off to college. After college when I wasn’t in the area as much, my dad would keep my love of milkshakes alive and would always let me know how much the price was going to be for the upcoming year, and how many were sold on each day.
Having one takes you back to when you were a kid, as summer draws to a close and the school year nears it was always the highlight of the year.
I’ve missed a few years here and there, but when we returned the milkshakes still tasted the same as when we were kids.
It is foods like this that takes you back to when you were young and the experiences that stay with you for a while. Something that you always remember and go back to.
But don’t take it for my word, please go ahead and try one for yourself. Anyone who considers themselves a fan of milkshakes would and should try one.
The Fair concluded its run on August 25, for the 178th time, the 2025 edition is slated to take place August 19-24, 2025.
–Patrick Moran, Editor, Morning Ag Clips