Highlights Archives
Wisconsin's Fair-est Season
The Wisconsin State Fair is once again upon us, running from August 2 through August 12 at State Fair Park in West Allis. From prize-winning cows to cream puff-eating contests, from Alice in Dairyland to marching bands, from gravity-defying rides to miracle cleaning products, the Wisconsin State Fair is a celebration of the traditional, the kitsch and the off-the-wall that is unique to the state. The State Fair has been going strong in Wisconsin for more than 150 years, but these days the fair is quite a different event than the first one held in Janesville in 1851 to showcase the state's agricultural advances.
About 10,000 people paid their 10-cent admission price to attend the first Wisconsin State Fair, sponsored by the State Agricultural Society. State fairs began in the U.S. as a celebration of rural American life, and Wisconsin's was no different. Before 1900 the Wisconsin State Fair existed primarily as way to teach farmers about the latest farming methods and equipment, although they did attract their share of celebrities — presidential hopeful Abraham Lincoln visited in 1859. The fair's educational roots are reflected in this jar of marbles used by Professor John Sweet Donald, which he used to demonstrate the importance of accurate farm accounting.
Amusement began taking precedence over education in the 20th century, however, and new exhibits, attractions and entertainments were added to increase non-farmer attendance. Wisconsin's dairy royalty, Alice in Dairyland, for example, got her start in 1948. The cream puff, the epitome of Wisconsin State Fair food, got its start in 1924 as a way to showcase the hard work of Wisconsin's cows.
The State Fair records in the Society's archives fully document the development of the modern Wisconsin State Fair and include more than 3,000 photographs. More than 200 of these images are available for online viewing in the Wisconsin State Fair image gallery from Wisconsin Historical Images, the Society's online image database.
:: Posted August 3, 2007
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