A Cream Puff-i-versary

Built in 1910, it's home to Puffs since 1924. dwm

The fair was looking for something tasty to highlight Wisconsin's dairy industry in 1924. According to a story on WISN, the treat was found in a bakery on the south-side of Milwaukee, the cream puff.

One hundred years later, the Wisconsin Baker's Association runs the Cream Puff concession at State Fair, hiring 200 people for the fair's 10-day run. They sell close to 30,000 every day.

The milestone was celebrated with different flavors of cream available during the fair's first 9 days.

UW Credit Union sponsored the cream puff centennial celebration. Their big splash was providing free cream puffs to the first 100 people in line when the stand opened for business each day.

1 of 3 lines hoping to get a free puff. 8/10/24 dwm

We were just ten people from the front of our line, which helped when our door and doors at the north and south of the building opened and everyone raced for a place in line. All five in our party qualified for a free one.

Our son bought three additional puffs with chocolate cake flavored cream with sprinkles. I had half of one with the special taste. It was good but nothing beats the classic cream. The puff, fresh-baked in the pavilion, is topped with a light frost of powdered sugar.

When you attend the fair, you're likely to see people walking around carrying a 3-pack or 6-pack of cream puffs in a cardboard box. My suggestion, don't follow their lead.

The original bldg gets a make-over for 25. dwm

Unless you have a cooler, odds are the cream will be liquid and the puffs squishy by the time you pull them out of the box. They might survive a quick trip to the office, but beyond that, I wouldn't press my luck. Instead, stay at the fair and make a another trip to the Pavilion for a second helping.

The 114-year old building hosting the cream puffs is getting renovated before the 2025 fair opens. It will expand the kitchen facilities and get a bigger footprint than it has now.

My early memories of the fair included another building next to the cream puffs that was jam-packed with commercial exhibits and had a small diner with a snake-like counter where people could sit and eat. It was torn down a couple decades ago, at least.

Picture of the new Dairy Bldg in 1910. (dwm)

The concession stands on the east side of the current building could either move or be bought-out of their spaces for next year. Only one is returning to the fair in a new location. Adeline's and Dernyda's Dairy Lane are closing after a 70-year run. As a fairwell, I bought one of Dernyda's jumbo chocolate malts for the ride home.

The Cream Puff is the treat of the fair. I'm surprised that they don't sell close to a million over the run of the fair because that's how many attend annually. You don't need to eat six of them, cherish and enjoy the puff experience.

Twist it apart to get equal amounts of cream on each shell, then eat open-faced. No one will poke fun if you get cream on your nose or face (at least not when you're eating). Savor every bite. When you come back next year, be sure to get in line early!