Summer in a Day: Wisconsin State Fair
The Annual Fair Contains All of Summer's Joys.
Following is the third edition of The Mix’s seasonal feature, “Summer in a Day,” designed for those who can’t get away for a full week but still want to experience some summertime fun! The first entry focused on Wildwood, New Jersey, and the second on Atlantic City. For this one, we travel a little further inland and concentrate not on one city, but one event in that city that amounts to a small city itself.
The cream puff is 100 years old.
That milestone will only mean something to you if you are from one particular state among America’s 50.
If you grew up in Wisconsin and made a habit of visiting the Wisconsin State Fair in Milwaukee every summer, you had a to-do list of things you had to check off or your visit would not feel complete. Among them: watch the pig races; pat a cow; go down the giant slide; eat something weird and deed-fried; sit in a beer garden.
But there was really only one item on that list that, if you didn’t do it, you could count your day an abject failure. That was: eat a cream puff.
The fair has been serving fresh cream puffs every year since 1924. (I know the cream puff itself is much, much older than that, but this particular cream puff is 100 years old.) That’s more than half of the life of the fair, which was founded in 1851, three years after Wisconsin became a state. The treat was launched by the Wisconsin Bakers Association as a way to promote the state’s wheat and dairy products. In 1936, 37,000 cream puffs were sold; in 2007, 355,000 were sold; that number has held pretty steady in the years since. A report in 2007 stated that 47% of all fairgoers ate at least one cream puff during the fair’s run. Roughly one cream puff per second is sold during the opening hours of the fair’s 11-day run.
The cream puffs are such an institution that they have their own building. It’s called the Cream Puff Pavilion, which sounds like something from Willy Wonka’s factory. The staff at the pavilion numbers in the hundreds. The pastry has its own mascot, too. His name is Cravin’ D. Cream Puff. He has his own Instagram feed. (But only 140 followers. C’mon, guys! Help a cream puff out!) I have yet to lay eyes on this character, but I hope to meet him some year. He seems fun.
Cream puffs are in such demand that they are available even to those Wisconsinites who don’t want to brave the crowds on the fairground. There is a cream puff drive-thru that operates during the morning hours. You can buy three for $14 or six for $25 and be on your merry way.
This year, to commemorate the anniversary, the fair is selling several limited-edition cream puff flavors, including Root Beer Float, Raspberry Cheesecake and English Toffee Cream.
We didn’t get any of those, because this was Mary Kate’s and my son Asher’s first visit to the Wisconsin State Fair. And your first experience with the fair’s cream puff should be a pure one.
Because we ordered three ($5 each), we were automatically given a “3-Pack,” in which three cream puffs are packed into a smart, carry-along box. The box wasn’t needed long, as we quickly opened it up and consumed our separate puffs. While the treats look as if they are heavy-going, they are as light as air. The trick to eating them without ending up with whipped cream on your shirtfront is to lick the outside until it is free of excess cream and then go to work on the actual puff pastry.
Pig Races
The Cream Puff Pavilion wasn’t our first stop at the fair. That was the Racing Pigs Arena, a fair institution of sublime ridiculousness, and a priority for Mary Kate. She wanted to attend the first race of the day (11 a.m.) and get a good seat. So we staked out the racetrack and stayed nearby to time our entrance.
Now, I used to think the pig races were an exclusively Wisconsin thing. But I saw on the side of the trailer that held the racing swine that they belonged to Jay and Nicole Phillips of East Prairie, Missouri. A little research revealed that the Phillips family truck their speedy hogs to state fairs everywhere from New York State to Mississippi. Finding this out was a little deflating. But the fact remains that the pig races are beloved by fairgoers and have been an attraction in Wisconsin since 1986.
The piglets are kept in a paddock, much like horses at a horse race, until the bell rings and they are released to race around a sawdust-strewn track. Their motivation is simple: a cookie lies at the end. In the past it has been an Oreo, but I am told it is an oatmeal cookie these days. I do not think I would run for an oatmeal cookie.
Slides and Wheels
We arrived at the fairgrounds before the 10 a.m. opening time and strolled the grounds until the various pavilions, rides and food stands opened for business. During this period, the fair—which is swarming with humans by noon—was almost peaceful. While waiting for it to be a decent time to enter the pig-racing arena, we took a spin on the WonderFair Wheel. This is an ideal way to take in the massive scope of the fair, as well as catch a few welcome breezes on a hot day. (Given that the fair is always held in August, all of the days are either hot or, worse, rainy. Wear a hat and bring sunscreen.) Fee: $7.
Near the WonderFair Wheel is the fair’s most famous ride, the aptly named Giant Slide. It is just that: a tall, undulating, 200-foot-long, yellow slide that you ascend via a million steps and descend—quite charmingly—upon a simple burlap sack. Everyone should try the slide at least once. This costs only $4.
There are many other rides, of course, all clustered in the midway which has been called, oddly, Spin City ever since the fair took over operations of the midway in 2012. There are, indeed, many things that spin—horizontally, vertically and otherwise—if that is your thing.
The Fair’s Second Best Food
Running a close second behind cream puffs as the best thing you can eat at the fair is the fresh roasted corn at the New Berlin Lion’s Club stand. (New Berlin is a small city that is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area.) It has commanded a well-trafficked corner of the fairground since 1959 with an impressive angled piece of open-air, yellow-and-blue architecture (built in 1975). All this club does is corn-on-the-cob and they do it damn well.
I have a sentimental attachment to this concession. I grew up on a farm outside Milwaukee and we grew acres of fresh corn. Corn-on-the-cob was a summer staple on our table. Moreover, my father was a member of the Lion’s Club, so a visit to the fair’s corn stand was a family priority.
When I was a kid, the sight was more impressive. Cobs were grilled by the hundreds over open pits. Now, the corn is cooked in self-contained metal units with a chain drive that moves the corn around so it is cooked evenly. This is less theatrical, but the corn is just as delicious. It’s dipped in hot melted butter before it is handed to you. You hold it by the husk and apply the salt yourself. It is the original food on a stick. Cost: $4.
The Fair’s Third Best Food
Quite a few Wisconsin State Fair food stands can boast a presence on the fairgrounds that goes back decades. Cracovia, a Polish stand, has served potato pancakes, rollbraten and pierogis for more than 35 years. Millie’s Italian Sausage has been there since 1932.
The Sheboygan Brat House is a relative youngster by that measure, having put down roots in 1971. Why Sheboygan? Because the small city, an hour’s drive north of Milwaukee, is the most famous producer of bratwurst in the United States.
The rule of thumb that make’s the Cream Puff Pavilion and Lion’s Club Corn Roast so great holds here, too—food stands that do only one thing offer the best eats at the fair. The Brat Haus only serves bratwurst. (OK, hot dogs, too, but nobody buys those.) The links are cooked over a charcoal grill. You are asked if you would like yours with sauerkraut or not, and you are asked no further questions. There are other condiments nearby if you want them. I have had few better bratwurst in my time and none hotter.
Other Food
The fair’s rides, animal exhibits and concerts notwithstanding, many fairgoers come here mainly to feast. And there is a lot to feast upon, from nearly two hundred concession stands spread over the fairground. As at other state fairs, roughly fifty percent of fair foods are deep-fried. And many of those are served on a stick.
This “on a stick” sub-genre of fair food is a relatively new thing, having emerged in the current century. It’s a popular novelty; it’s also practical in that foods that require utensils are not popular among fairgoers.
Still, many of the on-a-stick foods these days feel like they were the result of a dare. In my stroll around the fairgrounds, I spotted corn dogs (the granddaddy of foods on a stick), foot-long corn dogs, corn dogs dipped in hot melted cheese, spaghetti and meatballs on a stick, steak and egg on a stick, sangria on a stick, BBQ pork on a stick, pork chop on a stick, pickle on a stick and many, many more. I wondered about the science and aerodynamics of many of these, but did not inquire in most cases.
Mash-ups, too, are ubiquitous. Cheese curd tacos, anyone? Pretzel-wrapped brat? Brandy Old Fashioned S'more? I took a chance on one of these, the Brat-Tot-Chos, a dish which brought together in one paper bowl bratwurst, tater tots and nachos. It was not finished. But I walked away wiser.
For a more wholesome approach to sustenance, hit the Wisconsin Products Pavilion, where you can see what the Badger State can do with a baked potato, cranberries, maple syrup, ice cream, honey, sausage and ketchup. Warning: the line for fresh, hot baked potatoes can be as long as that for cream puffs.
There is also the Milk House, one of the oldest concessions at the fair, where you can buy a glass of ice cold milk for $1. I considered this for a hot second. But the scene in “Anchorman” where Ron Burgundy chugs a carton of milk on a hot day and concludes, “Milk was a bad choice,” kept flashing through my mind.
And, Of Course, the Animals
State fairs are, of course, agricultural affairs at heart. So no visit to any state fair should be without a walk through at least one of the barns where the competing livestock are kept waiting for their moment on the cat/cow/goat/sheep/pig/rabbit/chicken walk.
The sight of a majestic cow or unbearably cute bunny will bring out the sense of wonder in anyone, especially if—like my son—you did not grow up around such beasts. I sent Asher off on his own for a few hours, imagining he would spend the time on dizzying rides. Instead, he hit the barns. “The animal competitions should get more attention than they do,” he reported when he came back.
Back to Reality
Unless you are made of steel, after several hours at the fair you will be ready to rest your feet and soak in some sweet air-conditioning—and perhaps some food that requires a knife and fork.
To get all of this in one package, I suggest Kegel’s Inn, a landmark German restaurant just a five-minute drive from State Fair Park. Like the cream puff, Kegel’s is celebrating 100 years in business this year. Settle into the cozy, dark-wood, Teutonic atmosphere and dine on the roast boneless duck, the house specialty.
If you’re missing the fair food, you can find much of it here, too, included cheese curds, bratwurst, baked potatoes and French fries. And you can enjoy it all in a beer garden that’s most attractive than any at the fair. Nothing is on a stick, but there is a mash-up food, something called German Nachos. They are covered with pork shank and beer cheese.
There Are Other State Fairs
The Wisconsin State Fair lasts until August 12, so you still have plenty of chances to take it in and execute your summer-in-a-day game plane. If you don’t live in Wisconsin, or nearby, don’t fret. Many states have wonderful state fairs that offer some of the same wonderful attractions. (But no cream puffs. Sorry.) Here are a few that are coming up:
Illinois: August 8-18
Indiana: August 2-18
Iowa: August 8-18
Kansas: September 6-15
Michigan: August 29-September 2
Minnesota: August 22-September 2
Missouri: August 8-18
Nebraska: August 23-September 2
New York: August 21-September 2
Oregon: August 23-September 2
I’ve only been to the New York State Fair, but can testify that it is fun. Be sure to try the Beef Sundae. You heard me.
Remember that next week in “Gin Week” at The Mix, with gin-related features every day of the week. If you’re a gin producer and want to be a part of this, but haven’t gotten your gin to the Mix offices yet, you still have a week to do so. Reach out to us and we’ll tell you how.
After “Gin Week,” The Mix staff will be taking a well-earned break for the rest of summer, and return in full force the day after Labor Day!
The pig races are indeed sublime ridiculousness! The Harford Fair (a local county fair that takes place every year near Brackney) has them, as well as duck races!
Great article. Makes me want to get on an airplane and fly 1,000 miles and 45 years in the past to Wisconsin. But Kegels restaurant? Oh my.