June is Dairy Month -- Lowville Cooperative Mascot Enjoys Dairy Goodness

Lady LeWinDa Milkzalot licks the Schulz's ice cream cone

Well, Lady LeWinDa Milkzalot is at it again.

During the winter, I ran a photo of her bundled up in a scarf and ear stockings as she stood proudly in her spot at the Lowville Producers Dairy Cooperative in the Lewis County village of Lowville, near the Kraft plant.

Now that the sultry summer breezes are here, the dear Lady is donning cute sunglasses and taking a large lick of a gigantic chocolate-vanilla twist ice cream cone.

And not just any cone, mind you. That is the cone that has graced Schulz's restaurant in Croghan, Lewis County, for years. But the cone was missing last year, stolen from outside the restaurant.

The Watertown Dairy Times reported in October that the 8-foot-tall fiberglass cone was stolen in September and was found in late October along the banks of the Beaver River. The Times report stated the cone had been secured onto a wooden base in the Schulz's parking lot with cables and the cables were still attached when it was found.

Here is Lady LeWinDa Milkzalot with her winter wear

Kent Widrick, manager at the Lowville Producers Dairy Cooperative, said once the cone was recovered, it was refurbished and now it is spending some down time with Lady LeWinDa Milkzalot. "We're going to keep it here for a while," Widrick said.

The Lowville Producers Dairy Cooperative is one of the top 50 cooperatives in the United States, according to a list compiled annually by Hoard's Dairyman. Widrick said it takes in milk from more than 200 farm families in Lewis Jefferson and Oneida counties -- a total of about 20 to 22 loads of milk a day (one load consists of 50,000 pounds of milk or 5,800 gallons). 

The cooperative,which has been in business since 1936, also operates a cheese store which sees about 200 customers a day. It features squeaky cheese curds and cheeses up to 9 years of age. The store is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Go to http://www.gotgoodcheese.com/ to check out the cheese store website and place an order.