Heinzel serves the Prairie du Chien mayor his breakfast at the Prairie du Chien Rotary Club Wings Over PdC on Saturday, July 13
One of the special parts about the Alice in Dairyland selection process is that a new county gets to host the finals event each year. Because of this, each Alice is able to learn in-depth about a particular county and its agriculture. The communities in that county benefit from the attention and tourism brought to the area, and different sponsors can connect with the Alice in Dairyland program. Next year, the host of the 78th Alice in Dairyland finals will be Crawford County, located in the heart of the Driftless region, along the beautiful Mississippi River!
During each month of her one-year term, Alice visits the host county to attend events and to learn more about the community, and this year is already off to a great start! My predecessor, 76th Alice in Dairyland Ashley Hagenow, visited Crawford County in June before I began my term as she stopped by their annual dairy breakfast, this year held in Gays Mills.
My first visit to Crawford focused on a few events to help support various groups in the community. I enjoyed a breakfast hosted by the Prairie du Chien Rotary Club, got a bird’s eye view of the event from the bucket of a fire engine 150 feet in the air, and even got sky high to see Crawford from above in a plane! The “Pies a Plenty” auction and Wings over Prairie Du Chien both served as great opportunities to meet the people who call Crawford County home!
According to Prosperity Southwest, a regional economic development organization, “Crawford County is home to unique and rugged people who are proud of their tranquil landscape neighboring the Mississippi River. Wooded bluffs boarder the Kickapoo River and offer an easy float for a canoe or kayak through the Driftless landscape.” It is also a place where one can find local festivities celebrating their heritage and community. During the right season, travelers may find roadside stands of local produce or freshly picked apples that let you bring the taste of Crawford to wherever you’re headed. Boasting a diverse agriculture industry, dairy manufacturing and goat cheese production is popular throughout the county, as well as pasture-raised pork, poultry, and goat production. Overall, 58% of Crawford County’s acreage is used for agriculture, and I’m excited to explore as much of it as I can!
With so much going for it, I know that each of my visits to the next Alice in Dairyland Host County will be nothing short of spectacular! I am excited to share all that I experience and learn on my travels with you through my social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram.
Over the next several months, the Crawford County Host Committee will be hard at work, with their efforts culminating in the 78th Alice in Dairyland being named on May 17, 2025. Until then, I look forward to visiting Crawford County’s many amazing communities and businesses, learning about them along the way, and making the most of my time as Wisconsin’s 77th Alice in Dairyland. You can learn more about Crawford County and the finals at www.aliceindairyland.com.
77th Alice in Dairyland Halei Heinzel poses with a local firefighter and the Prairie du Chien mayor atop a firetruck ladder, about 150 feet in the air!
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