Check out this NC State tradition: the Dairy Bar has made its way back to the North Carolina State Fair, now at a new indoor location. Hosted by the NC State Food Science Club and its co-chairs, the booth will sell Howling Cow ice cream for $6 a scoop at this year’s fair from Oct. 13-23.
This year, instead of the usual outdoor booth, the Dairy Bar will be located across from Dorton Arena, at the tram stop, indoors. Robert Wine, a fourth-year studying food science and French and co-chair of the Food Science Club, said the new location will allow customers to be inside and have a chance to interact with the booth.
“We’re taking that as an opportunity to tell the story of Howling Cow,” Wine said. “We have pictures of what the farm looked like in the ‘60s and ‘70s … [and] we have pictures of what the old dairy processing plant looked like.”
The booth is selling fan favorite Howling Cow flavors such as banana pudding, cookie dough, butter almond and Wolf Tracks, as well as more traditional flavors such as vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.
Grant Goldsmith, a first-year studying engineering, said although there is limited seating directly outside of the Dairy Bar, it’s better than most vendors who have no seating at all. According to Goldsmith,Howling Cow is also one of the most reliable vendors at the State fair.
“Sometimes you go to the fair and you stumble upon a vendor that’s really great and sometimes it’s really bad,” Goldsmith said. “I didn’t want to take that chance because I knew Howling Cow would deliver.”
Although there is a notable difference in cost per scoop between the Howling Cow ice cream on campus at $2.99 and the cost per scoop at the fair at $6, it comes with a purpose. All of the funds raised from the selling of Howling Cow ice cream at the fair will go towards scholarships, outreach programs, professional development and other activities that will benefit the NC State and Raleigh communities.
Goldsmith said he thinks the higher price at the fair is still acceptable.
“I feel like there always is going to be an upcharge on everything when you’re at the fair, and so I understand, but I think it’s awesome that all of the profits [are going to] charity,” Goldsmith said.
Goldsmith said he appreciated the quality and variety of flavors offered at the Dairy Bar, which made the price and the wait worth it.
“The line was definitely longer than the other ice cream lines, but I was very much okay with waiting because all the other ice cream places that I saw just didn’t look very good,” Goldsmith said. “[They] didn’t have the range of flavors that Howling Cow had.”
According to Wine, Howling Cow has been a staple at the NC State Fair for several decades. The brand is known for its exclusivity to NC State and its popularity among students. The ice cream is made on the bottom floor of the Dairy Processing lab on campus, where all the Howling Cow offerings sold at the fair will be made. With such high regard for the product, the Food Science Club is anticipating plenty of business at this year’s State Fair.
“NC State Food Science students have taken pride in selling their ice cream at the fair since the 1970s,” Wine said. “The milk used to make the ice cream comes from NC State cows out on Lake Wheeler Road. The milk travels five miles down the road to be made into Howling Cow ice cream in the Feldmeier Dairy Processing Lab in the Schaub Food Science building.”
Jeffrey Gillette, a third-year studying food science and Japanese and co-chair of the Food Science Club, said he is looking forward to the positive changes associated with the booth’s change in scenery.
“We [have] exciting changes that we were able to do this year with the new location,” Gillette said. “We don’t have a line outside. If it starts raining, people can come indoors. I think this year’s gonna be really good.”
According to Goldsmith, stopping by the Howling Cow booth at the fair is a good idea if you like quality ice cream. Although the indoor line will be long, the staff works very efficiently so even the longest lines wrapped around the space should clear in less than 10 minutes.
“[The wait in line was] probably just under 10 minutes or so,” Goldsmith said. “If you’re craving good ice cream, [Howling Cow is] probably your best option at the fair.”
