SALT LAKE CITY — Utah State University’s iconic Aggie Ice Cream will be among several Utah-made favorites featured during the annual Dairy West Ice Cream Festival at the Utah State Fair on Monday, Sept. 14.
The festival, a longtime State Fair tradition, gives fairgoers the opportunity to sample a variety of locally made ice creams while supporting the Utah Food Bank. Participating brands include Aggie Ice Cream, BYU Creamery, Farr Better Ice Cream, Creamies, Rancho/Heladita and The Creamery.
The event will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. in the Market Building at the Utah State Fair. Admission is $5 per person, with 100% of proceeds benefiting the Utah Food Bank.
For northern Utah residents, the festival offers an opportunity to enjoy one of Utah State University’s best-known traditions alongside other locally produced ice creams while highlighting the state’s dairy industry. Organizers said every participating brand is made in Utah, connecting visitors with the dairy farmers, processors and local businesses behind each product.
Last year’s Ice Cream Festival raised $6,509 for the Utah Food Bank, nearly $1,000 more than the previous year.
“Ice cream and the Utah State Fair just belong together,” said Lacey Papageorge, Dairy West’s farmer relations manager. “The Ice Cream Festival has been part of the fair for decades, and it has become a really fun tradition where families can enjoy a favorite treat while celebrating the local dairy community behind it.”
Papageorge said the festival has special meaning for her because she grew up on a multigenerational Utah dairy farm and remembers attending the event with her grandparents after the State Fair’s cow show.
“Dairy farmers care deeply about the communities where they live and work,” Papageorge said. “Feeding people is at the heart of what they do, so it’s especially meaningful that the Ice Cream Festival brings people together to enjoy local dairy while every entry fee paid goes directly to the Utah Food Bank.”
In addition to the Ice Cream Festival, Dairy West sponsors the Utah State Fair’s butter cow display, a fair tradition since 1989. The sculpture is crafted from more than 700 pounds of butter supplied by High Desert Milk — enough for about 22,400 pieces of toast — and takes sculptors Debbie Brown and Matt McNaughtan approximately five days to complete.