Humans of the Wisconsin State Fair 2017

 

HUMANS OF THE STATE FAIR: Peter and Karen have been to the @wistatefair “too many times to count,” according to Karen. Peter, who mainly comes for the food and people watching, ventures a guess at 40 times: “I love the fair,” he said. “I mean, I go every year. I go multiple times!” When asked about food, Karen had a very specific, very delicious-sounding rec: “The deep-fried PB&J from Machine Shed.” . . . #humansofstatefair #wisconsinstatefair #wistatefair #wisconsin #milwaukee #mke photo by Meghan Quadracci

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HUMANS OF THE STATE FAIR: Meet Fran, Sandy and Alyssa, who come to the @wistatefair every year. “I remember when they didn’t have permanent buildings,” said Fran, who makes sure to get a cream puff and some Saz’s every year. Sandy agrees about the cream puffs, adding, “We try new foods every time we come.” . . . #humansofstatefair #wisconsinstatefair #wistatefair #wisconsin #milwaukee #mke photo by: Meghan Quadracci

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HUMANS OF THE STATE FAIR: Like most @wistatefair-goers, Kelly and Marty, from Kenosha, are here for the food. (Kelly said she’s also here for “the music, the adult beverages and the animals. Everything!”) Unlike most fair-goers, they seek out more adventurous fare than the traditional cream puff: “This year we’re going after the exotic food like the gator, the bison, etc.” Kelly said. “But not the crickets. I am not into the crickets. I think it’s a crunch thing I just couldn’t get over!” . . . #humansofstatefair #wisconsinstatefair #wistatefair #wisconsin #milwaukee #mke photo by Meghan Quadracci

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HUMANS OF THE STATE FAIR: Meet Jordan and Emily, both from Milwaukee. This was Emily’s first time at the @wistatefair, though she had some sage advice to future fair-goers: “There is a lot going on—a lot of great food,” she said. “You kinda need to narrow down what you want to eat and have an idea, because there are so many options,” she said. Jordan says he’s here for anything deep-fried, joking that his “cheat day” is lasting two weeks. When he introduced Emily to the famous State Fair cream puffs, she was excited to try them, but… “It’s really hard to figure out how to eat it!” she said. “But you eventually figure it out.” . . . #humansofstatefair #wisconsinstatefair #wistatefair #wisconsin #milwaukee #mke photo by Meghan Quadracci

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HUMANS OF THE STATE FAIR: Meet Danielle from Madison. Coming to the @wistatefair is a tradition for Danielle and her family. Food plays an important role in this summer tradition. She comes back each year for a baked potato and enjoyed a deep fried Oreo this year, which according to Danielle was “really good!” When asked if she will be back next year, Danielle replied, “definitely!” • • • #humansofstatefair #wisconsinstatefair #wistatefair #milwaukee #mke Photo by Meghan Quadracci

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HUMANS OF THE STATE FAIR: Strolling through the Grand Champion Hall at @wistatefair to see all the winners, you might also find Sherien near the Cacti and Succulents. A seasoned State Fair veteran, Sherien has been coming back for 35 years. While he can give you a full lesson on cacti and succulents, Sherien insists that he’s not a Horticulturalist. “This is my hobby. By trade, I’m a gear machinist, my parents and grandparents were farmers to they were people who liked plants, so I became one too.” These warm weather plants are stand-out items found in the Grand Champion Hall. Sherien adds, “Christopher Columbus was the first cactus collector… on the way back to Spain he threw all the tobacco over board but kept the cactus, what a mistake that was.” . . . #humansofstatefair #wisconsinstatefair #wistatefair #wisconsin #milwaukee #mke Photo by Maria Christianson

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HUMANS OF THE STATE FAIR: The @wistatefair has had Greg coming back from Columbus, Ohio, to work at Mille Italian Sausage for four years now. One of the reasons he keeps coming back? The people. “We have a lot of great customers, a lot of them return every year just for the sausage,” Greg said. “I’m a people person so I like meeting the people at the fair.” When asked if anything has changed in the past few years that he has worked at the fair, Greg pointed towards the WonderFair Wheel and said “they have that new ferris wheel this year, that’s a big change!” . . . #humansofstatefair #wisconsinstatefair #wistatefair #wisconsin #milwaukee #mke Photo by Meghan Quadracci

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HUMANS OF THE STATE FAIR: Every year, the @wistatefair is filled with first-timers and veterans alike. We met Marie and Sam from Milwaukee while strolling the grounds. Marie is a seasoned veteran and has attended State Fair for 34 years. Meanwhile, it’s only her son Sam’s second year at State Fair. When asked what keeps her coming back each year, Marie answers with, “the food!” The cheese curds from Brad and Harry’s are a favorite. Marie also adds that “It’s way more fun now with kids, because he likes the food as well!” . . . #humansofstatefair #wisconsinstatefair #wistatefair #wisconsin #milwaukee #mke Photo by Meghan Quadracci

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HUMANS OF THE STATE FAIR: Meet Ron and Richard who are from Janesville and have been coming to the @wistatefair for 12 years. They make the hour long drive each year for a variety of reasons, but namely the food. “The food; steak sandwiches, cheese curds, State Fair has all the good stuff,” said Ron. Meanwhile Richard chimed in and added that the races are also quite entertaining. The list of reasons why the State Fair is a staple to their summer plans doesn’t end there though. “I really like the expo center,” adds Ron. . . . #humansofstatefair #wisconsinstatefair #wistatefair #wisconsin #milwaukee #mke Photo by Meghan Quadracci

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HUMANS OF THE STATE FAIR: We met Latia and Shay, both from Milwaukee, taking a rest on a bench. Both are patrol officers for the @wistatefair and get their fair share of exercise each day. “It’s a lot of work and you have to walk…far…” Latia said. Shay suggested that patrol officers play an important role at the State Fair. “We have to make sure ya’ll are safe while you have a good time here.” . . . #humansofstatefair #wisconsinstatefair #wistatefair #wisconsin #milwaukee #mke Photo by Meghan Quadracci

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HUMANS OF THE STATE FAIR: Meet Everett and John from Racine. Don’t ask them how many times they’ve been to the @wistatefair because they’ve lost count. As always, food is a main reason they keep coming back. “It used to be corndogs and I used to come and try different places to find the perfect corn dog, but this year we just go this falafel on a stick. It was really good!” Everett said. Other State Fair favorites include the animals, especially the horses and goats for John. Meanwhile, Everett enjoys watching the Slice and Dice demonstration in the Exposition Center. . . . #humansofstatefair #wisconsinstatefair #wistatefair #wisconsin #milwaukee #mke Photo by Meghan Quadracci

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HUMANS OF THE STATE FAIR: Visit the @wistatefair and you’ll see an abundance of wacky foods available for purchase. We met Tim, who is from Austin, Texas, at the Spam Curds booth to have him explain what a “spam curd” is. He informed us that a Spam curd is a mixture of cheese flavored with Spam, chopped up and fried. He first started making the curds at the Minnesota State Fair. We asked him how the Wisconsin State Fair compares to other state fairs he attends. Tim responded saying he likes it, especially because it’s a little bit less crowded. . . . #humansofstatefair #wisconsinstatefair #wistatefair #wisconsin #milwaukee #mke Photo by Maria Christianson

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HUMANS OF THE STATE FAIR: We met Savannah in the cattle barn where she was hanging out with her two cows, Jazzy and Yoggie. She has been showing cows since third grade, but this is only her fifth year at the @wistatefair. She loves showing and we asked her how the State Fair compares to other venues she’s shown at. “It’s a lot higher scale. You have a lot more at risk and you can win a lot more. Bigger competition too.” We then asked her what each of her cows are being shown for. “Jazzy (the black cow) gets shown for how she’s going to be as a cow. For example, when she has a baby, like she did this past year.” . . . #humansofstatefair #wisconsinstatefair #wistatefair #wisconsin #milwaukee #mke Photo by Maria Christianson

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