Fairs across Wisconsin offer numerous opportunities for summertime family fun. This season means cream puffs and rides on a Tilt-A-Whirl for many fairgoers, but people also enjoy the thrill of competition as the culmination of months of energy on a wide variety of projects.

County and state fairs have strong agricultural roots, and show animals are a centerpiece of exhibitions. But they also provide a venue for participants to hone, complete and showcase their artistic, design and performance skills. In all categories of competition, fairs give kids and older participants an opportunity to learn how to utilize constructive feedback to help them improve their work. This educational component sets county and state fairs apart from carnivals or other similar events, even as more emphasis is placed on rides, food and the other entertainment.

On the July 24, 2017 edition of Wisconsin Public Radio’s Central Time, host Veronica Rueckert interviewed Leigh Presley, a University of Wisconsin-Extension Racine County agriculture educator, about the long history of agricultural fairs in the state and the opportunities they offer competitors in the present day.