Waukesha County Fair Time

How quickly this month seems to sneak up on me every year, but at the same time, I am always very excited to see it come. I have worked for the Waukesha County Fair for the past ten (maybe more) years and it’s coming up just next week!

I could not ask to work with a better team at the Fair each year and help make this great family tradition happen. The Fair Association is an amazing group of people to work with and their fantastic Executive Director makes sure there is something for everyone at the Fair. Though I have seen it all – rain, hail, wind, heat advisories, drought conditions, cold, and perfect temps & sunshine, I wouldn’t change a moment of it. You can’t control the weather, so we roll with it, and have a great time. That’s part of living in Wisconsin, right?

The Waukesha County Fair is the oldest fair in the state of Wisconsin and the largest even in Waukesha County, held at the Waukesha County Expo Grounds. The Fair runs July 15 – 19 for the 173rd time!

When I’m not working, my main focus at the Fair is checking out all the new foods, obviously and I have tried some really great things in the past year. The new foods list has been released and a few of the items have peaked my interest. Ruben tots from Jayme’s Chopstix and the beer brisket sandwich from Sprecher top that list.

Last year I tried the Adult Root Beer Float from Sprecher that had a little whiskey kick in it and the deep fried Oreos from another vendor that were divine. I tried the nachos from the community tent and they were worth every penny (though they were extremely reasonable!) A Fair staple for me are Bubba’s chicken strips from Silver Spur. That is typically my lunch on Saturday or Sunday. They are so tasty – that perfect sweet and salty combination.

And you can’t forget about the desserts. The 4-H kitchen has cream puffs (a Fair tradition), ice cream sundaes, dipped cones, and many other sweet treats. Not to mention it’s located in one of the Fairgrounds’ air conditioned buildings, so it’s a great place to cool off. I also have to get myself a funnel cake every year!

You really can’t go wrong with what you eat at the Fair. I have yet to find something that I didn’t like and I’m on the grounds all five days of the Fair, so I have had a lot of the food.

The Fair has great local bands on the side stages in addition to National Recording artists on their Main Stage – Rodney Atkins, REO Speedwagon, Jackyl & Quiet Riot and Three Dog Night are the evening concerts.

Hot Air Balloons, a Shark Show, rides, games, animals, exhibits, demolition derby, truck pulls, children’s activities and so much more. You truly can find something for everyone at the County Fair. And you can do it inexpensively. Each day there is a way to get in for a discount and if you act now, you can save buy buying tickets in advance!

The Fair kicks off on Wednesday (7/15) at noon and it’s just $1 to get in, $1 to park and $1.25 per ride. Talk about a bargain! And once you are in the gates, besides the midway rides & games and what you want to eat, everything is included in your admission – even the main stage shows.

So if you need to reach me next week, you know where you can find me – I’ll be on the grounds taking in the sights and sounds of the Fair and hoping to get the Fair the best media coverage around.