What Makes PA Farm Show Milkshakes Such a Big Deal?

Virtue, liberty, and milkshakes? How 1 beverage came to dominate the Pa. Farm Show.

The Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association has served milkshakes at the Farm Show since 1953, and in the years since, the drink has become nearly synonymous with the event. PA Local investigates why.

What makes PA Farm Show milkshakes such a big deal?

HARRISBURG — Last Saturday, Randy Graham joined a line that stretched into the dozens, prepared to “wait it out” for a storied treat: a Pennsylvania Farm Show milkshake. “They gotta be really, really good because people come here from all over the place and wait in long lines just to get to be able to sample and try a milkshake,” the Erie County resident, who wouldn’t usually describe himself as a milkshake person, told PA Local. “So, I just got…

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Virtue, Liberty, and Milkshakes? How One Beverage Came to Dominate the PA Farm Show.

The Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association has served milkshakes at the Farm Show since 1953, and in the years since, the drink has become nearly synonymous with the event. PA Local investigates why. By Asha Prihar, Spotlight PA Pictured above: People stand in line for milkshakes at the 2026 Pennsylvania Farm Show. Photo courtesy of Erin Negley / Spotlight PA This story first appeared in PA Local, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA taking a fresh,…