Strawberries-N-Creme, Loon Lake Tea feed the fair

It seems sticking to values of down-to-earth simplicity can lead to a lot of complications. At least, that might be one point fair vendors Kelly Miller and John Gotz, owners of the Strawberries-N-Creme and Loon Lake Iced Tea businesses at the Waseca County Fair might share.

 

Strawberries -N-Creme has been a vendor at the county fair for about 40 years, having been begun by Waseca entrepreneur Gayle O’Regan. Miller and Gotz purchased the business in 2018, when O’Regan had let people know she was retiring.

 

“We wanted to retain her philosophy of simplicity and fresh, high-quality ingredients while adding branding, operational expertise and defined culture all our own.”

 

Miller, a 1984 graduate of the Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton school district, had grown up in the area, and remembered always seeking out Strawberries-N-Crème at the fair because she loved the simple combination of fresh berries layered in non-dairy whipped cream. She and Gotz, an Austin native, had met in the Twin Cities and become a couple. Having earned degrees in human resources and marketing at Minnesota State University Mankato, Miller had established a career as a consultant in human resources.  Gotz worked in residential remodeling and construction.

 

In 2018 when Strawberries-N-Crème became available, they felt their complementary talents could bring some innovations to the summer task of operating a concession booth at the fair. By 2021, they had moved to Waseca to be closer to family.

 

Today, Miller laughs when people suggest that the concession business is simply selling to customers during the Waseca Fair and the State Fair—that she works only two weeks out of the year. 

 

A conversation with her quickly reveals the amount of time and many steps needed to prepare for and then operate what have become two successful concession businesses: Strawberries-&-Crème and Loon Lake Iced Tea.

 

Miller says the underlying philosophy behind both booths is the same: provide wholesome, fresh products coupled with friendly, welcoming customer engagement. The result has been a strong and loyal following for both stands.  Customers often share memories of coming for strawberries year after year as part of their State Fair experience. The iced tea booth has repeat customers that talk about all the flavors they tried and want to know where they can get it outside of the fairs.

 

During the Waseca fair, a staff of about 15 is needed to keep things flowing smoothly. About four at a time are interfacing with the public while at least that many are in the background working at a specially equipped trailer. Workers acquire and prepare the needed supplies–including cleaning and stemming the strawberries, whipping the topping,  brewing the tea and  delivering products and supplies to the stands.

 

Having both booths at the Waseca Fair, says Miller, is a good warmup for the State Fair, where everything increases in speed and intensity. Her staff of 15 becomes 50. Sales are rapid, requiring ramped up systems to keep the booths supplied.

 

“The parfaits are flying out the door,” describes Miller regarding Strawberries-&-Crème. “There are times we go through 64 pounds of strawberries in six minutes.”

 

The single kitchen trailer supports both stands; two campers for Miller, Gotz and others means they “rarely leave the fairgrounds for the 12 days of the fair,” describes Miller. To keep up with the startling number of strawberries needed, Miller has continued a relationship Gayle started with the parishioners of a nearby congregation with a school and commercial kitchen. About 30 church members are paid by the pound to come to the church daily to clean and stem between 600 and 1,200 pounds of strawberries through the morning. Other volunteers wash dishes and clean and sanitize equipment. The money earned is all donated back to the parish, Miller says.

 

On site at the State Fair, the non-dairy topping is whipped and Tea of various flavors is brewed and cooled. Workers are kept busy shuttling  the food, beverages and supplies to the two concession stands; an often repeated round-trip walk that has had Gotz and others walking as much 23 miles in a single day.

 

This year, Miller reports, state fair organizers have informed Strawberries-&-Creme that it will be in a new location–a potentially worrisome problem because the stand’s many loyal customers will have to come looking for it. Still, Miller says, she and Gotz have decided “not to waste a good crisis” and have used the change as an opportunity to create a new food item for the stand and add a fenced area to the operation. 

 

Strawberries-&-Creme was selected to appear on the state fair’s “new foods” list for 2026 with a new Parfait that consists of strawberries layered in blueberry non-dairy whip topping served with waffle chips. Loon Lake Iced Tea has also been on the “new foods” list for the past three years; new flavors of tea have included “color-changing cotton candy,” “dill pickle,” and this year, “caramel apple.”

 

Miller says she and Gotz like to utilize local people to help manage the business and operate their booths; some are from the Waseca area, others travel from out of state to be part of the experience. “I’m looking for friendly people who like to banter and interact with the crowds,” she summarizes. “That interaction is the trademark of our way of doing business.”