The town mascot, Harmilda, and symbol of Harvard Milk Days, stands at the Five Points corner of converging intersections in town. The name was derived from the upper and lower case uses of HARvard MILk DAys. The annual festival celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.

One of McHenry County’s biggest parties is celebrating 75 years of its dairy heritage this year, and “all things milk,” when the Harvard Milk Days gets set for a blowout June 2-5.

The preliminary events began May 14, as a lead-up for the weekend festivities, and include the infamous “Bed Races,” that tend to steal the attention.

“I wasn’t around back then, but the history of Milk Days started June 1, 1942,” said Mike Bannwolf, co-chair of the organizing committee’s Co-Chair. “A group of people got together at the corner of Ayer Street and Brainard Avenue to show support for the war effort. At the time, there were more dairies within a 15-mile radius of Harvard than anywhere else in the country.

“They wanted to show that dairy production and the milk would keep flowing,” he said. “There were speeches, baton twirlers, dancing … and they also consumed 500 gallons of milk. The whole thing took off from there, every year.”

While the schedule has grown more ambitious, during the intervening time, to encompass carnivals, parades, competitions for the honor of being named “Harvard Milk Queen,” whitewashing Ayer Street into the “Milky Way,” it still retains the flavor of an intimate hometown hullabaloo.

“The events get more elaborate, and more fun, because when you get different people on the committee, you get different suggestions,” said Bannwolf. “This is a celebration of an achievement of the continuation of a quality event. The volunteers and everyone that attends is what makes it a special event.”

What also has gained in popularity, breaking out from under the heading “best kept secret,” is the Bed Race. It starts downtown May 25, with the preliminary heats to see which teams advance to the June 1 finals. Both events are being held at 7 p.m., and teams must run the obstacle course to advance, and also race the clock.

“There’s one person on the bed, and four people pushing and stopping it at various places along the course to shoot baskets, jump rope, toss balloons, whatever the organizers can think up,” said Bannwolf. “We have 16 girls involved with the Milk Queen pageant this year, so they’ll enter a few teams. Businesses get together to join in, friends make up squads … it’s usually 10 or more teams on the roster.”

The symbol for the festival, and Harvard, is Harmilda the Cow, a fiberglass statue located at the “Five Points,” where routes 14 and 173 converge with the downtown entrance streets. It was presented in 1966 by Robert Jones, of the Jones Packing Co., and named in 1970 by the winners of a contest.

The event’s home is Milky Way Park, a 47-acre parcel, located at 300 Lawrence Road where it was moved in 1958. The schedule contains the 3^rd annual Golf Outing, with a 1 p.m. shotgun start, held May 28 at the Beaver Creek Ridge course in Capron. “We have a lot of golfers in the area, so it was a natural,” said Bannwolf.

The festival grounds open June 2 with rides, food, and cow chip lotto. June 3 features more of the same plus an antique tractor display, with fireworks later in the evening. The 75^th annual Milk Days parade steps off at 1 p.m., from the Five Points, June 4. The day holds a Milk days Brunch with WGN radio legend Orion Samuelson, a 5K and 10K Run, a mild drinking contest, and fireworks at night.

The closing day June 5 has a community church service, musical entertainment, a junior dairy cattle show, and a grand finale fireworks display. A full schedule of events can be viewed on the Harvard Milk Days website (www.milkdays.com/schedule.asp), or calling (815) 943-4614.

“This brings people to the Harvard community, and also helps our businesses,” Bannwolf said. “You get to see the area, while you’re having a fun time with friends, or the family. That’s what a hometown festival is supposed to feel like.”