Buffalo Days, Luverne draw big numbers

• Buffalo Days 2009

Buffalo Days 2009 in Luverne. (Brian Korthals/Daily Globe)

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LUVERNE — Chilly weather and an occasional sprinkling of rain didn’t stop more than 500 people from turning out for free buffalo sandwiches Sunday at Blue Mounds State Park near Luverne.

“It’s a nice community effort,” said Jane Wildung Lanphere, director of the Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce. “This is wonderful. People come and celebrate the prairie.”

The state park’s buffalo feed is part of its open house day and coincides with Luverne’s Buffalo Days celebration.

“It’s a nice introduction for people to come to the park without a vehicle permit,” said Rick White, parks manager of Blue Mounds and Split Rock Creek state parks.

The park has offered a buffalo sandwich feed since the late 1960s, butchering one buffalo in its herd each year to feed the community. This year’s chosen bison was a small bull that yielded 275 pounds of ground meat, which translated into 12 pans of buffalo barbecues and food for more than 500 people.

Many different groups collaborated to make the buffalo feed possible. Sioux Valley Energy provided the funds for the butchering of the buffalo and the State of Minnesota donated the buffalo itself. The Chamber paid for the preparation of the food, done by Blue Mound Banquet. Pepsi Bottling Co. donated beverages for the meal.

Cub Foods distributed free reusable grocery bags with state park bumper stickers inside at the event.

Volunteers ranging in age from 16 to about 85 years old, from the state park, the Chamber and the school district helped serve the meal and keep parking organized and safe.

And though turnout was the lightest in years due to the cold weather, White expected very few leftovers.

Eating buffalo meat isn’t the novelty it once was, because it can be found in many supermarkets and has been marketed as a healthier alternative to higher-fat meats. Buffalo meat contains about half the cholesterol of beef and is also leaner in fat content.

For open house day, Blue Mound Banquet found a recipe for buffalo barbecues from a bison ranch and browned the meat in giant kettles, 40 pounds at a time. Catering Director Sarah DeBeer joked that everyone had carpal tunnel syndrome just from the amount of stirring they had to do.

Though the buffalo feed used to feature buffalo burgers, last year the park switched to barbecues because they are easier to make and distribute.

Mike Eagen of Adrian preferred the burgers, stating he liked the flavor better.

Gunnar Oldre, 7, of Luverne, who had never tried buffalo meat before, called the barbecues “awesome.”

Most people said they couldn’t tell the difference between buffalo meat and beef hamburger.

“It’s good,” said Marion Halverson of Luverne. “The barbecue was sweet.”

Marion and her husband, Otis Halverson, who moved to Luverne in January, went to the open house on the spur of the moment and were pleased to find there were no long lines. Both enjoyed the buffalo barbecues.

About 120 buffalo roam Blue Mounds State Park, keeping the restored prairie healthy and serve as a tourist attraction at the same time, White said.

The park is currently in the first year of a three-year range study, which will help park officials determine how many buffalo can live within the pasture without harming the prairie.

“Buffalo and prairie are integral to each other,” White said. “… they’re an indigenous native species and serve as dispersal vectors for seeds.”

Luverne’s Buffalo Days festival celebrates the prairie and its largest residents, and though the dreary weather forced organizers to cancel the parade, bike rally, tae kwon do demonstration and the performance of the Spotlight Dancers, people still turned out for the other events.

The Buffalo Days Cruise-In on Friday, for example, featured 219 cars, more than ever before, and people still showed up to browse the booths at Arts in the Park Saturday despite the chill.

“It was still a success, and next year, we’re due for good weather,” Lanphere said.

Tags: state and region, buffalo days, news