WEST ALLIS, Wis. - After a year off, the Wisconsin State Fair welcomed over 840,000 fairgoers for the "best 11 days of summer."
The State Fair event provides support to thousands of exhibitors and hundreds of vendors, offering significant direct and indirect economic impact in the Milwaukee region and beyond.
"We have an overwhelming amount of gratitude for the opportunity to have hosted the 170th Wisconsin State Fair and celebrate everything we should be so proud of in our great state," said Kathleen O’Leary, chief executive officer of Wisconsin State Fair Park. "Seeing smiling faces enter our gates again after 724 days was a tremendous accomplishment for our staff, vendors, exhibitors, and board of directors. While we were faced with challenging weather conditions for several days, we persevered to provide the best experience possible for all."
More than 8,000 animals were entered in competitions this year, and over 7,000 Competitive Exhibit entries were judged. Over 2,500 exhibitors participated in Fair competitions, including livestock shows, horticulture, textiles, crafts, culinary, cheese, meat, wine, and others. Additionally, Fairgoers enjoyed the splendor of nearly 40,000 flowers and plants on display throughout the Fair Park.
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The Governor’s Blue Ribbon Livestock Auction raised $303,800, the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Meat Products Auction raised nearly $109,000, and the Blue Ribbon Dairy Products Auction raised over $54,000. A significant portion of the nearly half of a million dollars in funds raised at these auctions benefit Wisconsin’s youth agriculture programs and provide scholarships.
The Wisconsin Bakers Association sold nearly 300,000 Original Cream Puffs to Fairgoers who craved the iconic Wisconsin dessert. In the Wisconsin Products Pavilion, the Real Wisconsin Cheese Grill sold over 47,000 grilled cheese sandwiches and the Wisconsin Potato Growers served up more than 26,000 baked potatoes during the Fair.
With the completed Central Mall project and improvements, Fairgoers were able to enjoy the heart of the Fair Park in an entirely new way, including shaded seating and relaxation areas, landscape lighting, and swings. This area will be enjoyed for years to come and will be further enhanced for the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair to include the new Central Mall Restroom.
The 2022 Wisconsin State Fair will take place Aug. 4-14.
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