Wisconsin: Tobacco Breakfast Returns to Albion

Source from:  By Brian E. Clark/Gazette Staff Janesville (WI) Gazette 07/09/2004

After 21 years, the farm kickoff breakfast for Edgerton's Tobacco Heritage Days is returning home. The first farm breakfast took place at the home of Wally and Mary Ann Olstad, 552 County X. The couple had raised tobacco and run a dairy at the farm for decades. [img border=0 hspace="4" vspace="4" align="left" src=http://www.tobaccochina.com/english/picture/tobacco070704.gif] Wally also headed a state tobacco growers and buyers association and was well known in area sporting circles, especially for his work with the Home Talent baseball league. During four decades he was either a player or coach for the Albion Tigers. For many years, the kickoff breakfast was in Edgerton, but it was Wally's idea to move the meal to a farm, officials said. For the first one, he volunteered his place and the event drew more than 300 people. That number was far more than were expected, forcing Wally, his wife and others to scramble to feed the visitors. Wally continued to organize the gatherings for the next two decades. He sold the farm to his grandson, Bjorn Olstad, in January 2003. Wally was diagnosed with cancer in April and died July 16, almost to the minute that the 2003 farm breakfast began at the Crazy Acres farm run by Jim and Bette Wileman. He was 75. Bjorn, 25, learned of the death at the event, where he was accepting an award for his grandfather. "I think my grandfather would be pleased that the breakfast has, in a sense, come back home," said Bjorn, who was raised in Janesville and was a standout wrestler at Parker High School. His parents are Rick and Janis Olstad. In the past year, Bjorn said he has kept busy at the farm in his free time. In addition to raising 51/2 acres of tobacco, he works for a chemical company. "My grandfather died before he got to see all the work that I've done," Bjorn said. Now that the place has been repainted and spruced up in other ways, Bjorn said it is ready to host the kickoff breakfast again. "And actually, I got the easy part by allowing this farm to be used," he said. "Other people on the organizing committee are doing most of the work." Bjorn said he is expecting up to 800 people to dine at his grandfather's farm. "I know he'd enjoy it," Bjorn said. "I also know that a lot of people miss him. He was a great guy. Some folks said he was larger than life." Enditem