Revisiting Elk Grove's dairy past

From making cheese to playing old-fashioned games, kids and their parents had the chance to travel back in time and visit the Northwest suburbs from a bygone era on Sunday during the annual Dairy Day celebration at the Elk Grove Historical Museum.

Children even were even able to bottle-feed a calf with fresh milk gathered from its mother.

"It was hard to feed the calf," said Amber Heishman, 8, of Elk Grove Village. "He was very strong. He was running away and kept yanking on the bottle."

The event also featured butter-churning, crafts, ice cream sundaes, house tours, and opportunities to discover the dairy history of Elk Grove.

Audrey Ko, curator for the Elk Grove Historical Museum, talked about churning butter.

"We show different methods of churning butter here today," she said. "You could make your own butter at home by using heavy whipping cream in one these churners or by shaking the whipping cream in a Mason jar. You will still have liquid left over, which is the actual buttermilk."