Our State Fair Celebrates 175

The first fair was in 1851. 8/8/26 dwm

2026 is the 175th anniversary of the Wisconsin State Fair, but this isn't the 175th edition because six of the fairs were cancelled.

The Civil War cancelled fairs from 1861 to 1863 and the 1945 fair wasn't held because of World War II. The World's Columbian Exposition was in Chicago during 1893 and Fair organizers did not want to compete. The last time the fair was skipped was in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The 2026 Wisconsin State Fair is the 169th edition.

My parents didn't miss the Wisconsin State Fair after they moved to Janesville in 1962, they went to the fair in 1963, and I was along for the ride since my debut was more than a month away.

To the best of my memory I've missed just eight fairs. I was at Drake University from 1982 to 84, we married in 1985 and didn't make it while living in Iowa or South Dakota. In 2012, no one in the family went after Dad's passing in late July. None of us went to State Fair in 2020 due to Covid.

My sister is the official memory-keeper in the family, so I'm curious to see if her recollection matches mine.

Four plus Tibby at the Fair. 8/8/26 dwm

The Fair has changed over the years. The Giant Slide joined the fair in 1968, I was middle school age before grabbing a burlap bag for the first time and sliding down for $.25.

This year, my wife and I joined our youngest son, his wife, and their service dog, Tibby at the fair. After meeting outside the Flower building, the first hours were similar to how my folks did things at state fair.

My parents had a plan. We arrived around 8:30 before much was happening so we could be ready to see the Flower Building, now called the Grand Champions Building, when it opened at 9.

From there, we walked through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources park and exhibit, it's now called Exploratory Park, and then we enjoyed a cream puff in the Dairy Building (it's the second oldest building at the fair but was renovated in 2025).

3 Puffs for 4! 8/8/2026 dwm

Then it was time to shop. Most of the commercial exhibits are in the Expo Building, which is one of the newer buildings, and the family went down every aisle. Over the last few years, with all buildings opening at 10, it's hard to stay on schedule to see the Kids From Wisconsin perform at 1 if we aren't finished in Exposition Hall.

When my parents, plus the families of my sister and mine attended, as the kids grew up we would go our separate ways to visit areas each group wanted to see. We'd connect at the Kids show and often take in the Draft Horse hitch competition in the Coliseum.

The Kids' show covered 250 years of U.S. music. 8/8/2026 dwm

The 2026 State Fair combines celebrating 175 years of State Fair with the United States' 250th anniversary.

In addition to the focus on history, there was a new ride, the America 250 Wheel, the largest portable observation wheel in the world and the tallest wheel ever at the Wisconsin State Fair.

Our crew stuck together through the morning before checking out different areas of the fair.

I bought my ticket for the 250 Wheel months ago and was looking forward to what the view is like 230 feet in the air.

The Wheel dominates the fairgrounds because it's the tallest thing for miles around. Only some of the buildings in Milwaukee are taller.

The Sky Glider passes the 250 Wheel. 8/8/26 dwm

In past years, the Wonder Wheel was the featured attraction when it came to seeing the fair and surrounding area. The Wonder Wheel is 150-feet tall or 15 stories high compared to the 23-stories of the 250 wheel.

I waited 20 minutes in line before getting in the gondola - which is named for the twenty-second United States President, Grover Cleveland.

Cleveland was the first president to serve two non-consecutive terms, 1885 to 1889 and 1893 to 1897. He was also the first president to marry while in office.

Looking out the window behind me. 8/8/26 dwm

I joined two young women on the platform outside gondola 22, which was one of five off-loading passengers on one side then welcoming new guests from the other.

There are 45 gondolas on the America 250 Wheel, so it takes nine stops to off-load passengers and board the next. That's a car for each person who served as president.

It's called an observation wheel because you stop frequently to see in all directions. Depending how far you are above ground, the higher you go, the more you see. From the top you can see nearby American Family Field, the city of Milwaukee, and Lake Michigan.

Two Women from Marinette, WI look east. 8/8/26 dwm

The two women from Marinette came to the fair for Bailey Zimmerman, a country music star from Louisville, Illinois.

With time to kill before the 7:30 curtain, they were checking out a variety of rides at the fair, then driving home afterwards, 170-miles away.

Once every car on the wheel had their passengers, the wheel made one revolution without stopping, then started off-loading passengers five cars at a time.

From boarding the car until it unloads is approximately 12 minutes after three rotations.

American Family Field, left-center, Milwaukee and Lake Michigan in rear. 8/8/26 dwm

The cost to ride the America 250 was $7.00, which is about right. The ride was extremely smooth from stop to stop. After boarding the car, a short biography of the President painted on your gondola plays then followed by familiar patriotic marches.

Grandstand Ave mid-afternoon. 8/8/26 dwm

My wife and I spent a couple hours watching the Kids From Wisconsin perform their show, America's Soundtrack, the Pulse of the Nation.

It features kids between 15 and 20 years old who earn a spot as a singer and dancer or musician in the Kids after an audition. They perform across the state in June and July before taking the stage daily in August during the run of State Fair.

Our kids left a little sooner than we did but that's the beauty of being together with the option to come and go when you want.

While there were plenty of other things we could do after my ride on the wheel, but after a fun day at the fair it was time to go home.

Here are a more pictures from the Wisconsin State Fair.