LET’S GET POPPIN

After 25 years of protecting and serving people through law enforcement, a former sheriff’s deputy is popping and serving up something a little different these days.
Milo Dahlin of Ellendale began operating Schem’s Kettle Corn this summer at various festivals and events around the area, including the most recent Steele County Free Fair. He’s also been at Crazy Days and Arts on the Hill in Owatonna as well as Dodge County Fair and Claremont Hog Fest. 
Dahlin took over the kettle corn stand after his brother-in-law Danny Schember died from cancer in June 2017. Schember, who was the former jail administrator for Steele County, started the kettle corn business about six years ago. Just before his death, Schember purchased a new trailer designed to handle everything inside the trailer, including the popping of the kettle corn. 
“Dan only got to pop in it one time at the Home Show before Easter,” Dahlin said. “That’s when his health took a turn.” For Dahlin, Schember’s cancer battle became one of those life lessons where “you never know what’s going to happen in life.”
Dahlin is thrilled to be stepping up to help out with the kettle corn stand. “I want to keep it in the family,” he says. 
He said it’s humbling for him to take over the business that got popping in his family. “It was (Dan’s) vision and what he liked to do,” Dahlin said. “I feel blessed to continue on with what he set up. It’s kind of a legacy.”
Schem’s features two things: caramelized kettle corn and bottles of water. “Keep it simple,” Dahlin says. He expects to go through about 800 pounds of corn this year. Before Schember died, he shared his secret recipe with Dahlin so he could continue the tradition. 
As for his technique in popping, Dahlin said, “Listen to what the popcorn is telling you.” But sometimes that can be difficult. At a recent dance he found the music was so loud that he had to get his ear right down to the kettle to hear when the corn stopped popping so he wouldn’t burn it.  
But popping corn isn’t the only satisfaction Dahlin gets from this latest adventure. He enjoys seeing families out having a good time together. “One of the neatest things is to watch the kids,” he said. “They have the zest for everything that is new and exciting.”
Families, Dahlin said, are what make the world go around. “I don’t know where I would be without my family,” he said. 
For Dahlin, operating a stand at community events fits his personality just perfectly. “You deal with great people,” he said. “Having come from law enforcement, it’s nice meeting all these people on great terms.”
But that’s not to say Dahlin is glad to be away from police work. He worked for 25 years with the Steele County Sheriff’s Office, including several as chief deputy. He retired in 2014, a short time after he developed health problems of his own. He experienced a heart attack while on duty one day. 
Dahlin misses police work. “I miss working the small towns and serving different folks in the county,” he said in between selling bags of kettle corn at the Steele fair. “We still live in a county where nice people wave to you with all fingers.”
Once Dahlin retired from police work, he realized he needed to keep doing something. “You have to continue doing something in your community,” he said. In addition to running a food stand, he is a driver’s instructor for the Minnesota Highway Safety and Research Center in St. Cloud. He teaches over 55 driving schools in the area. 
“When you retire, you have many different hats,” Dahlin said. “I like dealing with the great people of our communities,” he added.
Dahlin’s family has also become involved in the 4-H program through the Ellendale Hustlers. His kids have exhibited horses, rabbits and goats. “I grew up a city boy and never thought I would be doing any of this,” Dahlin said. 
He is excited about his latest venture with the kettle corn business. “I want to keep doing it as long as I can,” Dahlin said. And, his daughter has even expressed interest in taking over some day. 
“It makes you feel pretty good when kids say they want to work with dad,” Dahlin said.