In the late 1940s, it was a big deal when the iceman drove his horse and wagon down our street. The iceman gave us neighborhood children chips of ice when he periodically delivered big blocks of ice to household iceboxes. Once electric refrigerators became commonplace, most icemen had to find a new line of work. 

 During that era, my mother would place a list in a heavy metal container on our porch steps. The milkman would deliver fresh, pure dairy products right to our door (in glass containers). His employer, The Walker Gordon Dairy in northeastern New Jersey, was a big tourist attraction. From a glass-enclosed balcony surrounding the huge facility, visitors watched the entire milk production process: milking cows entered a huge round revolving platform to be milked; clear milking machines and pipelines showed milk flowing to the processing area where it was pasteurized and converted into a variety of products. The tour wasn't complete without a stop at the dairy store.

 During childhood I refused to drink milk unless a large amount of delicious chocolate powder was added and stirred just right. My older children, now in their thirties with children of their own, enjoyed mixing and stirring this same product into their goat milk. A fussy Junior normally drinks milk only when it is drowning his cereal. That's why I was startled when he asked for a bottle of strawberry milk during a trip to the supermarket. It seems he and his friends have started buying flavored milk at school.

 The relatively recent addition of specialty varieties of flavored milk in many public schools has been very successful. Quite a few students and teachers are raving about their favorites, which include enticing flavors like cookies and crème, banana, cappuccino vanilla, and cappuccino mocha. Districts have been encouraged to provide nutritious flavored milk and pure fruit juices as alternatives to carbonated soft drinks and fruit drinks in vending machines. 

 Claims have been made that flavored whole milk, instead of low-fat milk, is just as bad a choice as soda for vending machines. This attitude is disappointing since nutrient-dense milk in any fat content is superior to the empty calories in soda. 

 It's become trendy to grab a convenient bottle and enjoy this wholesome product usually available in stores with cooler facilities. My favorites are intense vanilla and double chocolate. Sixteen ounces of flavored milk usually retails for $1.00, about the same price as carbonated soft drinks. Choosing more healthful products is smart consumerism; as the saying goes, you get "more bang for your buck." 

 Incidentally, Farm Bureau and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome and Tioga Counties recently organized and presented another extremely successful interactive, educational, fun extravaganza throughout the Oakdale Mall. Agricultural product displays, exhibits, activities, dairy food samples, and demonstrations provided free entertainment for people of all ages.

 Visitors watched milking contests, farm animal shows, sheep shearing, horseshoeing, wool spinning, and interacted with various farm animals. Children played an assortment of games, created mobiles and made prints using apples and paint. Members of our agricultural community were pleased with the enthusiasm of the public and are looking forward to next year's Farm Days at the Mall.