Day at State Fair

The Wisconsin State Fair has been part of my life as long as I can remember.

My family has seemed to always have a specific route and schedule to get around the grounds, and that tradition with some modifications have stayed with me to the most recent visit over the weekend.

Just getting to the fair requires some thought... if you get there too early you can get a nice place to park but have to stand around waiting for some buildings to open.

It seems the time to arrive was always around 8:45, so we could walk into the Horticulture Building when it opened at 9 to see the various flower displays.  Through the years, food competition, prize-winning quilts, and winning photographs became part of the display.

Looking at the clock to know if we were "on schedule" we walk from the flowers past the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel building where we might watch some of the live broadcast and pick up the new Green Bay Packer pocket schedule to the Department of Natural Resources park (right).

You see more grass, trees, and flowers here than any place else on the fairgrounds making it cooler than all the asphalt walkways.  There are many things for children: I remember sitting in a small classroom where Smokey Bear told us we could prevent wild fires.  Now there are places to learn about animal tracks and habitat for kids (plus Smokey is still there) and garden tips and information for hunters and anglers.

After the DNR, we head over for our Cream Puffs (more on those tomorrow) which fortify us to start shopping the hundreds of vendor exhibits.  It's a wide-range from the expensive (spas, jewelry, and home furnishings) to those things you didn't know you needed or wanted until you stood and listened to the pitchman (or woman) inform you how you are life is missing an essential ingredient.

We shop for a while and it's time for lunch and a couple in the group to secure seats for the Kids from Wisconsin in the Amphitheater for the free show.  It's first-come, first-serve so someone has to listen to the act on stage at 12 noon so the group can get seats for the 1:30 performance.

The Kids group was born in the sixties - a response of Wisconsin Governor Warren Knowles during unrest in the 1960s to look for ways to highlight Wisconsin's youth.  In 1969, the Kids took to the stage at State Fair and around Wisconsin as unofficial state ambassadors.  

The "kids" audition in February for spots in the group as either a member of the band or as a singer and dancer.  The group is comprised of mostly high school students from all corners of the state and are extremely talented.  If you go to the Fair, you owe it to yourself to see them.

New this year is a Kids Encore performance on a smaller stage with individuals or small groups of two or three perform a number that isn't featured in the main show.  It's a much more intimate show and opportunity to get a glimpse of some of the talent and personality of the group.  It's a nice addition.

After the Kids show - we make sure to see the Wisconsin Products Pavilion that features some of the healthiest and best fair deals.  Hot baked potatoes from the Wisconsin Potato Growers; Pork from the state's Pork Producers; Beef from the Cattlemen's group; Cedar Crest Ice Cream; Door County Cherries; and Wisconsin Cranberries are all available to enjoy.  My Dad always bought several pounds of Wisconsin honey on each visit from the Honey Producers.  (He bought so much honey, I'm happy to see the booth is able to survive without his patronage.)

The evening for us might be a trip into the Coliseum for the Draft Horses competing in 2, 4, or 6 horse hitch or we might top off a little shopping with a ride on the Sky Glider and some last minute fair food before calling it a day around sunset.

New traditions get added each year while some fall to the wayside.  I like collecting 'lapel' sized pins of each year's fair and with the introduction this year of a Fair theme poster we've started to add those to the fair archives.  The potatoes, cream puffs, and other fair fare - memories, tastes, sights, and sounds are enjoyed and compared to State Fairs of the past.

This year's theme is "Get Into Something Good;" between the food and the fun, consider the 2014 trip to State Fair as mission accomplished.

The Wisconsin State Fair runs through August 10 on the fairgrounds in West Allis, Wisconsin just west of Milwaukee off Interstate 94.