This year has been a blue ribbon year for Wilson Farm Meats in Elkhorn, which recently took home six top meat products competition awards from the Wisconsin State Fair, in addition to four statewide awards from the Lake Geneva-based Wisconsin Association of Meat Processors, and two national awards from the Elizabethtown, Penn.-based American Association of Meat Processors. Pictured, from left, are Wilson Farm Meats general manager Justin Cormanl: finished product manager Jeff Schmalfeldt, a veteran 36-year sausage maker; and retail manager Mark Tamblyn.
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The 30th Annual Governor’s Blue Ribbon Meat Products Auction on Aug. 9 in the Wisconsin Exposition Center at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis was preceded by June 17 judging of contest entries at the Wisconsin Exposition Center. Judges in the 2022 meat products contest, from left, were Andy Milkowski, Marty Wimmer, Tim Lorang, Terry Timm, Mark Schafer and Jordan Nehls. Product entries were judged on external appearance, internal appearance and flavor/taste, with winners receiving their awards and rosettes by mail. Elkhorn-based Wilson Farm Meats earned six grand champion, reserve champion and honorable mention awards in the 2022 contest. Proceeds from the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Meat Products Auction, more than $106,000 in 2022, support the Madison-based Wisconsin 4-H Foundation.
Eric Johnson
Elkhorn-based Wilson Farm Meats, winner of five grand champion, reserve champion and honorable mention awards in the Wisconsin State Fair’s 2022 meat products contest, was among the Wisconsin meat products producers participating in the 30th Annual Governor’s Blue Ribbon Meat Products Auction on Aug. 9 in the Wisconsin Exposition Center at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis. Pictured third from left in the first row is the “champion buyer” for Wilson’s grand champion specialty cooked bratwurst entry, Becky Merwin of Merwin Farms in Lake Geneva. Pictured front row, from left, are 2022 Wisconsin Fairest of the Fair Jackie Rosenbush, Wilson Farm Meats finished product manager Jeff Schmalfeldt, Merwin, Wilson Farm Meats general manager Justin Corman, and Wisconsin 4-H Leadership Council members Elizabeth and Emily. Seen back row is Randy Romanski, Secretary-designee of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Proceeds from the auction, $106,000 this year, benefit the Madison-based Wisconsin 4-H Foundation.
Eric Johnson
Wisconsin State Fair prize ribbons decorate Wilson Farm Meats' full service retail meat market and butcher shop at 406 S. Wisconsin St. in Elk…
Elkhorn-based Wilson Farm Meats, winner of five grand champion, reserve champion and honorable mention awards in the Wisconsin State Fair's 2022 meat products contest, was among the Wisconsin meat products producers participating in the 30th Annual Governor's Blue Ribbon Meat Products Auction on Aug. 9 in the Wisconsin Exposition Center at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis. Pictured second from left in the first row is the "champion buyer" for Wilson's honorable mention flavored summer sausage entry, Christine Jones of Hull Farm of Lake Geneva/Jones Family Farm. Pictured front row, from left, are 2022 Wisconsin Fairest of the Fair Jackie Rosenbush, Jones, Scott Corman and Amber Corman of Wilson Farm Meats, and Wisconsin 4-H Leadership Council members Samantha Budtke and Emily Groth. Seen back row is Randy Romanski, Secretary-designee of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. Proceeds from the auction, $106,000 this year, benefit the Madison-based Wisconsin 4-H Foundation.
Eric Johnson
Fifth-generation family-owned Wilson Farm Meats, 406 S. Wisconsin St. in Elkhorn, offers a full-service butcher shop and specializes in whole animal processing, craft sausage, and cured and smoked specialty meats. Recognized statewide and nationally, Wilson Farm Meats' 2022 awards include those from the Wisconsin State Fair, the Lake Geneva-based Wisconsin Association of Meat Processors, and the American Association of Meat Processors.
Eric Johnson
The embodiment of the farm to table movement of locally-sourced foods, Wilson Farm Meats is a fifth-generation family business that has fed Walworth County families since the 1870’s. Award-winning pork products sold at Wilson Farm Meats' retail butcher shop and meat market, 406 S. Wisconsin St. in Elkhorn, are raised locally at Wilson Prairie View Farms in the Town of Spring Prairie. The State of Wisconsin announced Oct. 12 that Wilson Farm Meats was the sole Walworth County recipient of a Meat and Poultry Supply Chain Resiliency Grant Program award. A local butcher and meat market and custom meat processor for locally raised pork, beef and veal, Wilson Farm Meats will use the 50-50 matching grant award to fund the purchase of equipment to expand production at the Elkhorn facility, which is hoped to spur the hiring of an addition 5-10 employees by the end of 2023.
Eric Johnson
The embodiment of the farm to table movement of locally-sourced foods, Wilson Farm Meats is fifth-generation family business that has fed Walw…
Class of 2022 University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate Taylor Schaefer, Wisconsin’s 75th Alice in Dairyland, recently started her 1-year July 5, 2022-July 4, 2023 stint as a full-time communications professional for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), educating the public about agriculture in Wisconsin. A native of Franksville in Racine County, active in 4_H and growing up on her family’s 800-acre beef cattle farm, Schaefer exhibited at both the Wisconsin State Fair and the Racine County Fair as a youth. Here, Schaefer presents an Aug. 4 demonstation on cooking with Wisconsin food products in the Wisconsin Products Pavilion at the Wisconsin State Fair.
- Eric Johnson
Beyond the big headlining entertainers on the Wisconsin State Fair Park Main Stage, the Wisconsin State Fair also offers fairgoers a variety of free music stages. Here, the Holy Rocka Rollas perform at the Bank Five Nine Amphitheater on opening day of the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair, Aug. 4.
- Eric Johnson
Known as "The Coconut Fish Guy," artist Mark Feja, who splits his time between Madison and the Florida Keys, shows off one of his coconut creation "Beeracudas," which he said are native to both the Great Beerier Reef and Lake Suberior. Feja has been a Wisconsin State Fair exhibitor for nine years and crafting his popular Beeracudas for the past 15.
- Eric Johnson
Volunteer Shirley Poch of Janesville dips an ear of roast corn into a warmer of melted butter while working the New Berlin Lions Club's fundraising corn roast stand, a popular Wisconsin State Fair fixture for more than 60 years. The club serves up more than 100,000 ears of roast corn on the cob annually.
- Eric Johnson
The Wisconsin Products Pavilion at Wisconsin State Fair Park showcases state commodity producers and their products, including dairy, sausage, honey, maple syrup, potatoes, poultry, cherries and cranberries, educating fairgoers on Wisconsin's agricultural and food products industry and offering them the chance to sample and purchase food products. Here, a Wisconsin Cranberry Growers Association display offers a look at cranberry growing and the harvested berries.
- Eric Johnson
On Aug. 4, Lake Geneva Regional News columnist Eric A. Johnson made his first return visit to the Wisconsin State Fair since 2001, welcomed back with open arms by Original Cream Puffs mascot Cravin' D. Creampuff. Johnson discovered a lot has changed at Wisconsin State Fair park over the past 21 years, finding nostalgic memories of the Wisconsin State Fairs of yore mixed with new discoveries including award-winning on-a-stick fare including the Peño Pretzel Popper Brat, the Sconnie Slugger and Brandy Old Fashioned S'mores.
- Eric Johnson
The bakery in the Original Cream Puff Pavilion at the Wisconsin State Fair turns out nearly 400,000 homemade cream puffs for fairgoers each year. The cream puffs, topped with powdered sugar, have been a Wisconsin State Fair tradition for nearly a century, making their debut in 1924. The cream puffs are sold at the Original Cream Puff Pavilion and at two satellite Cream Puff Express stands on the fairgrounds.
- Eric Johnson
In a bit of culinary showmanship, a large wall of display windows inside the Original Cream Puff Pavilion at Wisconsin State Fair Park provides fairgoers with the opportunity to watch the Wisconsin Baker's Association's cream puff creation process, including the pastry-filling step pictured here. The most popular food item among fairgoers and billed as Wisconsin's most iconic dessert, an average of 400,000 are consumed each year during the 11-day run of the Wisconsin State Fair, when the Original Cream Puff Pavilion becomes the busiest bakery in the country as the Wisconsin Baker's Association's celebrated "Team Cream Puff" - over 150 strong - runs a 24/7 cream puff operation. Other Wisconsin Baker's Association sweet treats sold at the Original Cream Puff Pavilion include Blue Ribbon Brownies and Colossal Cookies.
- Eric Johnson
Cravin' D. Creampuff is the mascot for the Wisconsin Baker's Association's popular cream puff operations at the Wisconsin State Fair, where some 400,000 cream puffs are sold annually during the fair's 11-day run, which runs through Aug. 14. Cravin' is seen here welcoming fairgoers to the Original Cream Puff Pavilion at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis. The Wisconsin Baker's Association has been serving up cream puffs at the Wisconsin State Fair since 1924, including a 2011 Guiness Book of World Records cream puff that measured in 38 inches wide, 7-1/2 inches high, and 125.6 pounds.
- Eric Johnson
The Wisconsin Bakery's Association sells some 400,000 of its famed cream puffs annually during the 11-day run of the Wisconsin State Fair, which runs through Aug. 14 at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis. The cream puffs are available at the Original Cream Puff Pavilion and two Cream Puff Express locations on the fairgrounds, in addition to two drive-through locations at Gate 7 (Kearney Street) and Gate 8 (76th Street).
- Eric Johnson
Large crowds were on hand for opening day of the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair on Aug. 4. Here, crowds are seen strolling in the early afternoon on Grandstand Avenue at Wisconsin State Fair Park. The Wisconsin Exposition Center at the fairgrounds, opened in 2002, is seen in the distance. At more than 200,000 square feet, the Expo Center is Wisconsin's largest exhibit hall and home to a large variety of vendors during the fair's 11-day run.
- Eric Johnson
Among the attractions at the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair is the Ejection Seat extreme thrill ride. With twin spires rising more than 100 feet in the air above Wisconsin State Fair Park, this sling-shot styled bungee ride launches riders high into the air, bouncing, spinning and somersaulting along the way.
- ERIC A. JOHNSON,
Waukesha siblings Nick and Breanna Lyons launch high into the sky above Wisconsin State Fair Park on Aug. 4 at they ride the Ejection Seat extreme thrill ride on opening day of the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair, which runs through Aug. 14. With twin spires rising more than 100 feet in the air above Wisconsin State Fair Park, this sling-shot styled bungee ride launches riders high into the air, bouncing, spinning and somersaulting along the way.
- Eric Johnson
The Wisconsin State Fair hosts hundreds of vendors selling a wide array of merchandise across the fair's 11-day run. The bustling 200,000-square-foot Wisconsin Exposition Center,which made its debut in 2002, allows fairgoers to shop in air conditioned comfort from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
- Eric Johnson
Prize-winning exhibits in the Wisconsin State Fair's Grand Champion Hall include these colorful gladiolus. Horticulture displays at Grand Champion Hall include bonsai displays, dahlia and gladiolus shows, Ikebana displays, orchid displays, rose displays, vegetable and herb shows, and a Wisconsin Garden Club display.
- Eric Johnson
Lines quickly grew long for 2022 Wisconsin State Fair food vendor Gertrude's Pretzels as word spread opening day of its receipt of the fair's coveted first place Golden Sporkie Award for its Peño Pretzel Popper Brat on a stick - a 10-inch jalapeño cheddar bratwurst wrapped in fresh pretzel dough, dipped in butter, topped with coarse pretzel salt and fresh-cut jalapeños, and baked until golden brown, when it's drizzled with white cheddar sauce and served with a house-made jalapeño cream cheese.
- Eric Johnson
The Peño Pretzel Popper Brat, served up by Wisconsin State Fair food vendor Gertrude's Pretzels, was the first place winner of the fair's ninth annual Sporkies Food Competiton. Placing second was the Sconnie Slugger from the Miller Lite Sports Bar & Grill. In third place was the Brandy Old Fashioned S'more On-a-Stick offered up by Freese's Candy Shoppe. The Peño Pretzel Popper Brat is a 10-inch jalapeño cheddar bratwurst wrapped in fresh pretzel dough, dipped in butter, topped with coarse pretzel salt and fresh-cut jalapeños, and baked until it’s golden brown. The Peño Pretzel Popper Brat is then drizzled with white cheddar sauce and served with a house-made jalapeño cream cheese. The eight Sporkies finalists are easily identified on the fairgrounds by giant 13-foot Golden Sporkies signs.
- Eric Johnson
Grand Champion Hall at Wisconsin State Fair Park houses the fair's horticulture, textile, craft and culinary exhibits. The hall features bonsai, Ikebana, orchid, rose and Wisconsin Garden Club displays, dahlia and gladiolus shows, vegetable and herb shows, and exhibits showcasing blue ribbon winners of the Wisconsin State Fair;s culinary, photography, quilting, textile and craft competitions. A live food competition will be held Saturday, Aug. 13. Fairgoers with long memories will remember shaking hands with late U.S. Senator Bill Proxmire outside Grand Champion Hall back in the day.
- Eric Johnson
Busy honeybees are on display at the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair in the Wisconsin Products Pavilion, a showplace of Wisconsin agricultural and food products, including honey. Wisconsin agriculture is a big economic driver according to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, contributing $104.8 billion annually to the state's economy. Food processing activity contributes $82.7 billion to industrial sales. Wisconsin is home to 64,100 farms on 14.2 million acres. The Wisconsin Products Pavilion at the Wisconsin State Fair educates fairgoers on the state's agricultural and food products industry and offers them the chance to sample and purchase Wisconsin food products.
- Eric Johnson
Stately Clydesdale horses get groomed for show in the Livestock Horse Barn at the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair, which will host a variety of livestock judging events over the course of the fair's 11-day run at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis. Opening day competitions on Aug. 4 included halter and hitched Clydesdale draft horse shows in the Case IH Coliseum. Highlight events over the fair's 11-day run include horse pulls, Aug. 11-12 draft horse hitch shows, and Aug. 12-14 Champions Challenge horse events.
- Eric Johnson
Beyond the big headlining entertainers on the Wisconsin State Fair Park Main Stage, the Wisconsin State Fair also offers fairgoers a variety of free music stages. Here, the Johnny Wad Band performs on the stage at Tavern on the Park on opening day of the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair, Aug. 4.
- Eric Johnson
Lake Geneva area entreprenuer Alex Ainger, of the Town of Linn, is one of the hundreds of vendors selling goods at the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair with his three Ewe-Nique Products stands at Wisconsin State Fair Park, including a Ewe-Nique Meat stand specializing in lamb meat in the Wisconsin Products Pavilion and two Ewe-Nique stands on the fairgrounds offering an eclectic variety of sheep products, indoor and outdoor home decor, and t-shirts. Ainger has been selling at the Wisconsin State Fair for eight years and the Walworth County Fair for ten.
- Eric Johnson
Seasonable summer weather and sunny blue skies greeted fairgoers on the Aug. 4 opening day of the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair, which runs through Aug. 14 at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis. The morning crowd is seen here walking along Grandstand Avenue on the fairgrounds. Around 1 million guests are anticipated to visit the Wisconsin State Fair on its 11-day run.
- Eric Johnson
The New Berlin Lions Club's fundraising corn roast stand has been a popular Wisconsin State Fair fixture for more than 60 years, serving up more than 100,000 ears of roast corn on the cob annually. Here, volunteer corn-roasters Kenneil Aiken of Lisbon and Ron Fontaine of Wauwatosa exude a fun-loving spirit of camaraderie as they work the club's automated corn-roasting machines.
- Eric Johnson
The Wisconsin State Park fairgrounds in West Allis offers an ever-changing landscape. A fair building featuring the Wisconsin State Fair's colorful circa-1972 four seasons snowflake logo is juxtaposed with Wisconsin State Fair Park's grandstand complex, built in 2002. The Wisconsin State Fair was held in various locations from 1851-1891, including Janesville, Milwaukee, Watertown, Fond du Lac and Madison. West Allis became the Wisconsin State Fair's permanent location in 1892. The fairgrounds, 640 S. 84th St., sprawl across 200 acres.
- Eric Johnson
Home to a large agricultural economy, Wisconsin is also home to several leading agricultural equipment manufacturers, including Racine-based Case IH, seen here exhibiting is Magnum tractor at the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair outside the Case IH Coliseum
- Eric Johnson
Delavan-Darien area resident Owen Chelminiak was among the Walworth County teens exhibiting livestock Aug. 4 at the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis. Shown here exhibiting a Black-and-White Holstein in the Livestock Barn, Chelminiak is a 12-year exhibitor at the Walworth County Fair and a 5-year exhibitor at the Wisconsin State Fair.
- Eric Johnson
Sharon resident Jasmine Davenport was among the Walworth County teens exhibiting livestock Aug. 4 at the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis. Shown here exhibiting a Brown Swiss in the Livestock Barn, Davenport is a 12-year Walworth County Fair exhibitor and a second-year Wisconsin State Fair exhibitor.
- Eric Johnson
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' Exploratory Park facility and grounds at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis brings a bit of outdoor Wisconsin and the rural Northwoods to the urban 200-acre fairgrounds. This year's theme at Exploratory Park is “OutWiGo” with a focus on outdoor recreation across the state. Fairgoers have the opportunity to meet with DNR experts to learn about Wisconsin’s world-class fishing, wildlife, state parks and all things outdoor recreation. Visitors to Exploratory Park also have the opportunity to join DNR staff in fun and educational experiences, including fish tanks with Wisconsin’s fish, interactive sensory exhibits for all ages, children’s games and more. Fairgoers are also invited to check out the DNR's dynamic displays and learn all about the state’s abundant natural resources and the impacts of climate change. With more than 6 million acres of public lands, Wisconsin offers 49 state parks, 15 state forests, 44 state trails, 84,000 miles of rivers and streams, and roughly 15,000 lakes.
- Eric Johnson
With a 2022 theme of OutWiGo, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' Exploratory Park pavilion at the Wisconsin State Fair offers visitors the chance to learn about on outdoor recreation opportunities across the state. With more than 6 million acres of public lands, Wisconsin offers 49 state parks, 15 state forests, 44 state trails, 84,000 miles of rivers and streams, and roughly 15,000 lakes. According to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, the economic impact of outdoor recreation in Wisconsin adds an estimated $7.8 billion boost to the state's economy each year and supports more than 93,000 jobs.
- Eric Johnson
The Wisconsin State Fair hosts a variety of judged contests, include the fair's annual Blue Ribbon Dairy Products Contest. Walworth County artisan cheesemaker Ron Henningfeld, of East Troy-based Hill Valley Dairy, took third place for his Whiskey Gouda with a score of 98.675. Hill Valley Dairy operates a retail cheese shop at 510 Broad St. in Lake Geneva.
- Eric Johnson
In their window-ringed "fish bowl" studio at Wisconsin State Fair Park, WTMJ-AM 620 host Greg Matzek (facing) chats with co-host Melissa Barclay during their live Aug. 4 Wisconsin State Fair broadcast of the station's 3-6 p.m. afternoon drive time "Wisconsin's Afternoon News" news-talk show. WTMJ has been a longtime remote broadcasting fixture at the 11-day Wisconsin State Fair.
- Eric Johnson
In 41 Photos: 2022 Wisconsin State Fair, Wisconsin State Fair Park, West Allis
Lake Geneva Regional News "Shooting the (Lake) Breeze columnist Eric A. Johnson made his first visit to the Wisconsin State Fair in 21 years. First visiting the Wisconsin State Fair at age 11 in 1976, he attended the 11-day fair at Wisconsin State Fair Park almost annually until moving to Ohio in late 2001 and later to northern Wisconsin. Now returned to southern Wisconsin, Johnson returned to see what's new at the Wisconsin State Fair and recall the state fair days of yore.
Class of 2022 University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate Taylor Schaefer, Wisconsin’s 75th Alice in Dairyland, recently started her 1-year July 5, 2022-July 4, 2023 stint as a full-time communications professional for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), educating the public about agriculture in Wisconsin. A native of Franksville in Racine County, active in 4_H and growing up on her family’s 800-acre beef cattle farm, Schaefer exhibited at both the Wisconsin State Fair and the Racine County Fair as a youth. Here, Schaefer presents an Aug. 4 demonstation on cooking with Wisconsin food products in the Wisconsin Products Pavilion at the Wisconsin State Fair.
- Eric Johnson
Beyond the big headlining entertainers on the Wisconsin State Fair Park Main Stage, the Wisconsin State Fair also offers fairgoers a variety of free music stages. Here, the Holy Rocka Rollas perform at the Bank Five Nine Amphitheater on opening day of the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair, Aug. 4.
- Eric Johnson
Known as "The Coconut Fish Guy," artist Mark Feja, who splits his time between Madison and the Florida Keys, shows off one of his coconut creation "Beeracudas," which he said are native to both the Great Beerier Reef and Lake Suberior. Feja has been a Wisconsin State Fair exhibitor for nine years and crafting his popular Beeracudas for the past 15.
- Eric Johnson
Rural Wisconsin interfaces with the urban at the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis, where thousands of animals are exhibited, including this rabbit seen in Wisconsin State Fair Park's Poultry & Rabbit Palace.
- Eric Johnson
Volunteer Shirley Poch of Janesville dips an ear of roast corn into a warmer of melted butter while working the New Berlin Lions Club's fundraising corn roast stand, a popular Wisconsin State Fair fixture for more than 60 years. The club serves up more than 100,000 ears of roast corn on the cob annually.
- Eric Johnson
The Wisconsin Products Pavilion at Wisconsin State Fair Park showcases state commodity producers and their products, including dairy, sausage, honey, maple syrup, potatoes, poultry, cherries and cranberries, educating fairgoers on Wisconsin's agricultural and food products industry and offering them the chance to sample and purchase food products. Here, a Wisconsin Cranberry Growers Association display offers a look at cranberry growing and the harvested berries.
- Eric Johnson
On Aug. 4, Lake Geneva Regional News columnist Eric A. Johnson made his first return visit to the Wisconsin State Fair since 2001, welcomed back with open arms by Original Cream Puffs mascot Cravin' D. Creampuff. Johnson discovered a lot has changed at Wisconsin State Fair park over the past 21 years, finding nostalgic memories of the Wisconsin State Fairs of yore mixed with new discoveries including award-winning on-a-stick fare including the Peño Pretzel Popper Brat, the Sconnie Slugger and Brandy Old Fashioned S'mores.
- Eric Johnson
The bakery in the Original Cream Puff Pavilion at the Wisconsin State Fair turns out nearly 400,000 homemade cream puffs for fairgoers each year. The cream puffs, topped with powdered sugar, have been a Wisconsin State Fair tradition for nearly a century, making their debut in 1924. The cream puffs are sold at the Original Cream Puff Pavilion and at two satellite Cream Puff Express stands on the fairgrounds.
- Eric Johnson
In a bit of culinary showmanship, a large wall of display windows inside the Original Cream Puff Pavilion at Wisconsin State Fair Park provides fairgoers with the opportunity to watch the Wisconsin Baker's Association's cream puff creation process, including the pastry-filling step pictured here. The most popular food item among fairgoers and billed as Wisconsin's most iconic dessert, an average of 400,000 are consumed each year during the 11-day run of the Wisconsin State Fair, when the Original Cream Puff Pavilion becomes the busiest bakery in the country as the Wisconsin Baker's Association's celebrated "Team Cream Puff" - over 150 strong - runs a 24/7 cream puff operation. Other Wisconsin Baker's Association sweet treats sold at the Original Cream Puff Pavilion include Blue Ribbon Brownies and Colossal Cookies.
- Eric Johnson
Cravin' D. Creampuff is the mascot for the Wisconsin Baker's Association's popular cream puff operations at the Wisconsin State Fair, where some 400,000 cream puffs are sold annually during the fair's 11-day run, which runs through Aug. 14. Cravin' is seen here welcoming fairgoers to the Original Cream Puff Pavilion at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis. The Wisconsin Baker's Association has been serving up cream puffs at the Wisconsin State Fair since 1924, including a 2011 Guiness Book of World Records cream puff that measured in 38 inches wide, 7-1/2 inches high, and 125.6 pounds.
- Eric Johnson
The Wisconsin Bakery's Association sells some 400,000 of its famed cream puffs annually during the 11-day run of the Wisconsin State Fair, which runs through Aug. 14 at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis. The cream puffs are available at the Original Cream Puff Pavilion and two Cream Puff Express locations on the fairgrounds, in addition to two drive-through locations at Gate 7 (Kearney Street) and Gate 8 (76th Street).
- Eric Johnson
Large crowds were on hand for opening day of the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair on Aug. 4. Here, crowds are seen strolling in the early afternoon on Grandstand Avenue at Wisconsin State Fair Park. The Wisconsin Exposition Center at the fairgrounds, opened in 2002, is seen in the distance. At more than 200,000 square feet, the Expo Center is Wisconsin's largest exhibit hall and home to a large variety of vendors during the fair's 11-day run.
- Eric Johnson
A "Dairy Lane" street sign and stop lights greets visitors to one of the livestock cattle barns at Wisconsin State Fair Park.
- Eric Johnson
Among the attractions at the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair is the Ejection Seat extreme thrill ride. With twin spires rising more than 100 feet in the air above Wisconsin State Fair Park, this sling-shot styled bungee ride launches riders high into the air, bouncing, spinning and somersaulting along the way.
- ERIC A. JOHNSON,
Waukesha siblings Nick and Breanna Lyons launch high into the sky above Wisconsin State Fair Park on Aug. 4 at they ride the Ejection Seat extreme thrill ride on opening day of the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair, which runs through Aug. 14. With twin spires rising more than 100 feet in the air above Wisconsin State Fair Park, this sling-shot styled bungee ride launches riders high into the air, bouncing, spinning and somersaulting along the way.
- Eric Johnson
A familiar face at the Wisconsin State Fair, Kitchen Craft Cookware representative Mark Temares has been exhibiting and selling the West Bend-manufactured cookware in the fair's former and current exhibition halls for 30 years.
- Eric Johnson
The Wisconsin State Fair hosts hundreds of vendors selling a wide array of merchandise across the fair's 11-day run. The bustling 200,000-square-foot Wisconsin Exposition Center,which made its debut in 2002, allows fairgoers to shop in air conditioned comfort from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
- Eric Johnson
Prize-winning exhibits in the Wisconsin State Fair's Grand Champion Hall include these colorful gladiolus. Horticulture displays at Grand Champion Hall include bonsai displays, dahlia and gladiolus shows, Ikebana displays, orchid displays, rose displays, vegetable and herb shows, and a Wisconsin Garden Club display.
- Eric Johnson
Lines quickly grew long for 2022 Wisconsin State Fair food vendor Gertrude's Pretzels as word spread opening day of its receipt of the fair's coveted first place Golden Sporkie Award for its Peño Pretzel Popper Brat on a stick - a 10-inch jalapeño cheddar bratwurst wrapped in fresh pretzel dough, dipped in butter, topped with coarse pretzel salt and fresh-cut jalapeños, and baked until golden brown, when it's drizzled with white cheddar sauce and served with a house-made jalapeño cream cheese.
- Eric Johnson
The towering 200-foot "Giant Slide" has been a popular fan-favorite attraction at the Wisconsin State Fair since 1968, drawing the adventure-seeking young and young-at-heart alike.
- Eric Johnson
Goats are judged Aug. 4 in the Sheep and Goat Barn at the Wisconsin State Fair. With a large agricultural economy in Wisconsin, livestock judging competitions are a major and popular part of the fair.
- Eric Johnson
The Peño Pretzel Popper Brat, served up by Wisconsin State Fair food vendor Gertrude's Pretzels, was the first place winner of the fair's ninth annual Sporkies Food Competiton. Placing second was the Sconnie Slugger from the Miller Lite Sports Bar & Grill. In third place was the Brandy Old Fashioned S'more On-a-Stick offered up by Freese's Candy Shoppe. The Peño Pretzel Popper Brat is a 10-inch jalapeño cheddar bratwurst wrapped in fresh pretzel dough, dipped in butter, topped with coarse pretzel salt and fresh-cut jalapeños, and baked until it’s golden brown. The Peño Pretzel Popper Brat is then drizzled with white cheddar sauce and served with a house-made jalapeño cream cheese. The eight Sporkies finalists are easily identified on the fairgrounds by giant 13-foot Golden Sporkies signs.
- Eric Johnson
Grand Champion Hall at Wisconsin State Fair Park houses the fair's horticulture, textile, craft and culinary exhibits. The hall features bonsai, Ikebana, orchid, rose and Wisconsin Garden Club displays, dahlia and gladiolus shows, vegetable and herb shows, and exhibits showcasing blue ribbon winners of the Wisconsin State Fair;s culinary, photography, quilting, textile and craft competitions. A live food competition will be held Saturday, Aug. 13. Fairgoers with long memories will remember shaking hands with late U.S. Senator Bill Proxmire outside Grand Champion Hall back in the day.
- Eric Johnson
Busy honeybees are on display at the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair in the Wisconsin Products Pavilion, a showplace of Wisconsin agricultural and food products, including honey. Wisconsin agriculture is a big economic driver according to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, contributing $104.8 billion annually to the state's economy. Food processing activity contributes $82.7 billion to industrial sales. Wisconsin is home to 64,100 farms on 14.2 million acres. The Wisconsin Products Pavilion at the Wisconsin State Fair educates fairgoers on the state's agricultural and food products industry and offers them the chance to sample and purchase Wisconsin food products.
- Eric Johnson
Stately Clydesdale horses get groomed for show in the Livestock Horse Barn at the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair, which will host a variety of livestock judging events over the course of the fair's 11-day run at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis. Opening day competitions on Aug. 4 included halter and hitched Clydesdale draft horse shows in the Case IH Coliseum. Highlight events over the fair's 11-day run include horse pulls, Aug. 11-12 draft horse hitch shows, and Aug. 12-14 Champions Challenge horse events.
- Eric Johnson
Ice cream scooper Tom Schippen gets into the spirit of the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair with his creative headgear at the Cedar Crest Ice Cream stand inside the Original Cream Puff Pavilion.
- Eric Johnson
Beyond the big headlining entertainers on the Wisconsin State Fair Park Main Stage, the Wisconsin State Fair also offers fairgoers a variety of free music stages. Here, the Johnny Wad Band performs on the stage at Tavern on the Park on opening day of the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair, Aug. 4.
- Eric Johnson
Lake Geneva area entreprenuer Alex Ainger, of the Town of Linn, is one of the hundreds of vendors selling goods at the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair with his three Ewe-Nique Products stands at Wisconsin State Fair Park, including a Ewe-Nique Meat stand specializing in lamb meat in the Wisconsin Products Pavilion and two Ewe-Nique stands on the fairgrounds offering an eclectic variety of sheep products, indoor and outdoor home decor, and t-shirts. Ainger has been selling at the Wisconsin State Fair for eight years and the Walworth County Fair for ten.
- Eric Johnson
Seasonable summer weather and sunny blue skies greeted fairgoers on the Aug. 4 opening day of the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair, which runs through Aug. 14 at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis. The morning crowd is seen here walking along Grandstand Avenue on the fairgrounds. Around 1 million guests are anticipated to visit the Wisconsin State Fair on its 11-day run.
- Eric Johnson
The New Berlin Lions Club's fundraising corn roast stand has been a popular Wisconsin State Fair fixture for more than 60 years, serving up more than 100,000 ears of roast corn on the cob annually. Here, volunteer corn-roasters Kenneil Aiken of Lisbon and Ron Fontaine of Wauwatosa exude a fun-loving spirit of camaraderie as they work the club's automated corn-roasting machines.
- Eric Johnson
The Wisconsin State Park fairgrounds in West Allis offers an ever-changing landscape. A fair building featuring the Wisconsin State Fair's colorful circa-1972 four seasons snowflake logo is juxtaposed with Wisconsin State Fair Park's grandstand complex, built in 2002. The Wisconsin State Fair was held in various locations from 1851-1891, including Janesville, Milwaukee, Watertown, Fond du Lac and Madison. West Allis became the Wisconsin State Fair's permanent location in 1892. The fairgrounds, 640 S. 84th St., sprawl across 200 acres.
- Eric Johnson
Home to a large agricultural economy, Wisconsin is also home to several leading agricultural equipment manufacturers, including Racine-based Case IH, seen here exhibiting is Magnum tractor at the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair outside the Case IH Coliseum
- Eric Johnson
Delavan-Darien area resident Owen Chelminiak was among the Walworth County teens exhibiting livestock Aug. 4 at the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis. Shown here exhibiting a Black-and-White Holstein in the Livestock Barn, Chelminiak is a 12-year exhibitor at the Walworth County Fair and a 5-year exhibitor at the Wisconsin State Fair.
- Eric Johnson
The Walworth County Youth Dairy Exhibit in one of the livestock barns at the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair.
- Eric Johnson
Sharon resident Jasmine Davenport was among the Walworth County teens exhibiting livestock Aug. 4 at the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis. Shown here exhibiting a Brown Swiss in the Livestock Barn, Davenport is a 12-year Walworth County Fair exhibitor and a second-year Wisconsin State Fair exhibitor.
- Eric Johnson
Walworth County was well represented in the livestock exhibitions at the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair, as evidenced by the sign for the Walworth County Junior Dairy Exhibit in one of the fairground's livestock barns.
- Eric Johnson
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' Exploratory Park facility and grounds at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis brings a bit of outdoor Wisconsin and the rural Northwoods to the urban 200-acre fairgrounds. This year's theme at Exploratory Park is “OutWiGo” with a focus on outdoor recreation across the state. Fairgoers have the opportunity to meet with DNR experts to learn about Wisconsin’s world-class fishing, wildlife, state parks and all things outdoor recreation. Visitors to Exploratory Park also have the opportunity to join DNR staff in fun and educational experiences, including fish tanks with Wisconsin’s fish, interactive sensory exhibits for all ages, children’s games and more. Fairgoers are also invited to check out the DNR's dynamic displays and learn all about the state’s abundant natural resources and the impacts of climate change. With more than 6 million acres of public lands, Wisconsin offers 49 state parks, 15 state forests, 44 state trails, 84,000 miles of rivers and streams, and roughly 15,000 lakes.
- Eric Johnson
The scenic, tree-shaded grounds of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' Exploratory Park at Wisconsin State Fair Park offers fairgoers a shady, cool and quiet getaway from the sunny, crowded buzz of the Wisconsin State Fair.
- Eric Johnson
With a 2022 theme of OutWiGo, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' Exploratory Park pavilion at the Wisconsin State Fair offers visitors the chance to learn about on outdoor recreation opportunities across the state. With more than 6 million acres of public lands, Wisconsin offers 49 state parks, 15 state forests, 44 state trails, 84,000 miles of rivers and streams, and roughly 15,000 lakes. According to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, the economic impact of outdoor recreation in Wisconsin adds an estimated $7.8 billion boost to the state's economy each year and supports more than 93,000 jobs.
- Eric Johnson
The Wisconsin State Fair hosts a variety of judged contests, include the fair's annual Blue Ribbon Dairy Products Contest. Walworth County artisan cheesemaker Ron Henningfeld, of East Troy-based Hill Valley Dairy, took third place for his Whiskey Gouda with a score of 98.675. Hill Valley Dairy operates a retail cheese shop at 510 Broad St. in Lake Geneva.
- Eric Johnson
In their window-ringed "fish bowl" studio at Wisconsin State Fair Park, WTMJ-AM 620 host Greg Matzek (facing) chats with co-host Melissa Barclay during their live Aug. 4 Wisconsin State Fair broadcast of the station's 3-6 p.m. afternoon drive time "Wisconsin's Afternoon News" news-talk show. WTMJ has been a longtime remote broadcasting fixture at the 11-day Wisconsin State Fair.
- Eric Johnson
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