Evers visits The Windmill Ice Cream Shoppe as part of June Dairy Month tour

TOMAHAWK – Last week, Governor Tony Evers stopped by a local business as part of his statewide tour celebrating June Dairy Month.

Evers visited The Windmill Ice Cream Shoppe, 1972 County Rd. L, Tomahawk, on Thursday, June 4.

Although the beloved business has served generations of customers over the last five decades, it wasn’t always the go-to spot for a scoop of chocolate peanut butter revel or rainbow sherbet.

The building was constructed in 1939 as part of Phil’s Lake Nokomis Resort, and in the years that followed, the property served as a Sinclair gas station, a tourist information center, a boat rental office and a candy shop before being converted into an ice cream parlor in 1978. The business was purchased by Charlie and Pat Berg in 1993, and the Berg family still operates it today.

During his stop at the iconic ice cream parlor, Evers chatted with the Bergs – Pat and her sons Russell and Rod. “Grandma Pat” was happy to discuss her past teaching career with Evers, who is also a former educator. Pat spent most of her career as a 4th grade teacher at Athens Elementary School.

In the spirit of Dairy Month, Russell noted that Charlie and Pat both grew up on dairy farms, and Charlie was a cheesemaker with Kraft and Foremost Farms for many years.

Evers then headed inside to mull over The Windmill’s 28 flavors, ultimately going with New York Cherry and Sea Salt Caramel Nut.

Evers noted that he “almost made it” through the entire serving.

“It was great ice cream,” he said.

Evers, Russell and Rod then took a short stroll, allowing the governor to take in the sights near The Windmill.

Russell said it was great to see the governor “stop by and visit in the same way so many others do throughout the season … admire the generous servings, walk the Bearskin State Trail to the trestle, enjoy the view and ice cream and take pictures below the turning red windmill blades.”

“It's a tradition we see repeated time after time by many,” he stated.

While at The Windmill, Evers highlighted the importance of the dairy industry to Wisconsin’s economy, noting that dairy farming and processing contribute roughly $50 billion annually while supporting about 120,000 jobs.

The governor also discussed state grant funding that has been made available to dairy farmers and processors over the years. Evers said he visited a farm co-op in Westby the day before his Tomahawk stop, and that operation utilized state grant dollars to help purchase equipment to make cottage cheese.

“It is important not only to kind of eat your way through the month, but also talk about how important the farming is, and also the processing,” Evers stated.