Published Sunday, September 15, 2002
The Mercer County Country Tour next weekend features eight stops in the Mercer-Sandy Lake area.
The "drive it yourself" tour features stops representative of the agriculture industry and rural community of Mercer County.
Participants can make the stops in any order and stay for as little or as long as desired. Tour hours are 1 to 6:30 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.
A self-guiding tour map with descriptions and driving directions may be obtained at many area agriculture businesses, libraries, and at the Mercer County Cooperative Extension office, U.S. Route 19, north of Mercer.
The tour is organized by the Mercer County Country Tour Committee which is made up of individuals representing a variety of agricultural businesses and organizations from throughout the county.
Directions to Stop 1
From Mercer County Courthouse, take U.S. Route 19 north 7.7 miles to Fairview Cheese on the east side of the road.
Fairview Cheese, 1734 North Perry Highway, Fredonia, turns the milk of dairy cows into cheese. Employees manufacture approximately 7.5 million pounds of Swiss cheese annually from 84 million pounds of milk.
Established in 1951 as Fairview Swiss Cheese Co-operative, the business was managed by John Koller from 1957-1987 and by John Koller & Son Inc. in 1981. In 1990, John Koller & Son, Inc. purchased the assets of Fairview Swiss Cheese Cooperative. Through several major renovations from 1991 to 2001, production has increased 350 percent.
Stop 2
From Fairview Cheese, turn right onto Route 19 and drive north 0.7 miles. Turn left onto
See TOUR, page A-12