NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — At the Nashville fair, plenty of things will make you stop and stare — but one attraction has people coming back for more: a free milk bar.
Patricia Patton and Charlesetta Hall have been running the milk bar for three years.
"Well, we're giving out milk today," Patton said.
The setup is simple. Volunteers offer cups of white milk and chocolate milk to anyone who walks by — and the response speaks for itself.
The milk itself is nothing out of the ordinary — the kind you'd find at any grocery store. But at the fair, it has become a main attraction.
"Well for one thing, it's free," said Hall.
Patton recalled one child's reaction that stuck with her.
"One child said, 'Oh, Mom, this is the best ever," she said. "You know how kids use the words best ever? That child was serious – best – ever!"
For Patton and Hall, the milk bar is more than a refreshment stand. Both women have deep ties to the fair. Hall remembered attending as a college student.
"I remember as a student going to TSU, it was something that we did on the weekend," she said.
All these years later, they are still coming to the fair — only now they are on the other side of the counter.
"I'm a people person," Hall said. "I love people, and I love talking to people."
And for both women, what fills the cup is not really what fills their day.
"Just to see their smile on their face," Hall said. "That is so satisfying to me."
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