After seven consecutive years of seeing attendance exceed more than a million people, organizers of the 170th Wisconsin State Fair say 841,074 visitors went through the gates during its 11-day run earlier this month. State Fair Park CEO Kathleen O'Leary says near-perfect weather and good entertainment helped bring out the crowds each day.
"Seeing smiling faces enter our gates again after 724 days was a tremendous accomplishment for our staff, vendors, exhibitors, and board of directors," O'Leary said. "While we were faced with challenging weather conditions for several days, we persevered to provide the best experience possible for all."
She adds that more than 2,500 exhibitors participated in fair contests, including agriculture, art, horticulture, culinary and more. Fairgoers also enjoyed 47,000 grilled cheese sandwiches at the Real Wisconsin Cheese Grill and 26,000 Wisconsin Baked Potatoes.
The 2021 fair also sold over 300,000 cream puffs and thousands of glasses of lemonade.
Meanwhile, the Governor's Blue Ribbon Livestock Auction auctioned off 25 animals including market steers, barrows and lambs, raising nearly $304,000. A portion of the auction proceeds are awarded to the youth exhibiting the champion animals and the balance is used to produce the auction and support youth agriculture programs and scholarships. Many animals were donated to charities by buyers.
Entries from the meat products show were donated to the Governor's Blue Ribbon Meat Products Auction, which raised nearly $109,000 this year to support 4-H members in the state. And the Blue Ribbon Dairy Products Auction also raised $54,000 for youth scholarships and dairy promotions.
Next year's Wisconsin State Fair will take place August 4-14, 2022.
Categories: Wisconsin, Rural Lifestyle