Molly Baun, a 3-year-old Holstein cow owned by Wellington cheese baron Charles Horr, produced 17,000 pounds of milk in one year, more than three times what other cows yield. With a herd of dairy farms and more than 40 factories producing cheese in the late 1890s, the village earned the moniker "Cheese Capital of America." But refrigeration spoiled the local industry, says Patti Young, president of Main Street Wellington, which hosts the Wellington Cheese Heritage Festival July 18-20. Despite the town's rich, creamy history, not a single cheese producer remains. Maybe it's time for someone to milk the opportunity, suggests Young. "We'd really welcome it," she says. "We even have a building downtown - it's a corner little building - and it has 'Cheese' on it. So they wouldn't even need to put a sign up."
MORE INFO: mainstreetwellington.org
