The Hoard Historical Museum has announced it will be hosting “Gov. Hoard Day.”
This year, the annual event will be held Saturday, Oct. 8.
According to a news release, re-enactments from the Civil War will be held between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Afternoon presentations will explore the history and development of commonplace dairy products, with the first beginning at 1 p.m.
Presentations scheduled as part of the event will be held in the museum, 401 Whitewater Ave., Fort Atkinson, in the Jones Family Gallery.
The event is free and open to the public.
Refreshments, honoring the governor’s 186th birthday, will be available.
Gov. W.D. Hoard was a resident of Fort Atkinson, Civil War veteran, the 16th governor of Wisconsin and founder of W.D. Hoard’s and Sons, which began publishing a local newspaper in Fort Atkinson in 1870, and the “Hoard’s Dairyman” magazine in 1885, the release noted.
“With this program, we like to concentrate on an aspect of Gov. Hoard’s life that still resonates with today’s public. We then compare Gov. Hoard’s life experiences with our modern public opinions. This year we’re focusing on dairy. Gov. Hoard’s life was spent promoting the value and importance of dairy farming and the manufacture of dairy products,” Merrilee Lee, director of the Hoard Historical Museum, was quoted as saying in the release.
Within the release, she asked: “Do people still promote dairy today as he did?”
Activities scheduled for the event include:
• Civil War re-enactors who will be at the Museum between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. “Join Civil War re-enactors for military drills and learn more about the average daily experience of Civil War soldiers. Civil War soldiers drilled, or marching in formation, to practice the skills that they would need in battle. Drills taught soldiers to function as a group. Come join our re-enactors as they drill on the lawn, weather permitting, and learn about the skills needed by a Civil War infantryman,” the release states.
• “Gov. W.D. Hoard and the Oleo-Margarine Wars,” a presentation which will be delivered by Lee at 1 p.m. “The oleo-margarine wars were fought politically over the development and marketing of oleo-margarine. W.D. Hoard was a major voice in opposition of margarine. Lee will explore the origins of the conflict, Hoard’s opinion, and the political outcome,” the release notes.
• “History of Cheesemaking in Wisconsin,”a presentation which will be delivered by Gina Mode from the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research, at 2 p.m. “Wisconsin is home to a rich cheese history, which has created a strong cheesemaking presence in the modern world. Mode will explore the ancient origins of cheese plus the conversion of Wisconsin from a wheat state to dairy. Raised on a fifth generation dairy farm, Mode has a (bachelors degree) in food science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Masters of Business Administration from Edgewood College. She has worked at the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research and as the Babcock Hall Dairy Plant quality control laboratory manager. She has served as a technical judge for the American Cheese Society, North American Jersey Cheese Awards, Pennsylvania Farm Show, United States Championship Cheese Contest, and World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest,” the release continues.
About the Hoard Museum
According to the release, the Hoard Historical Museum and National Dairy Shrine Museum are both located at 401 Whitewater Ave., Fort Atkinson. The museums are open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and are closed Sundays and Mondays. For more information about either museum, call: 920-397-9914 or visit the website: www.hoardmuseum.org.
Civil War re-enactors set up camp on the grounds of the Hoard Historical Museum during last year’s “Gov. Hoard Day.” Contributed photo.
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