Additional images, videos, etc.

Beloved Wisconsin author and storyteller Jerry Apps takes viewers on a fun-filled ride through the over 180-year history of Wisconsin fairs in an all-new special, Jerry Apps: Meet Us at the Fair.

Jerry Apps: Meet Us at the Fair premieres 7 p.m. Monday, March 3, on PBS Wisconsin. The program will also be available to stream everywhere at pbswisconsin.org and in the free PBS app on digital devices and smart TVs shortly after broadcast. An encore broadcast of the program will also air 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 11.

Born and raised on a dairy farm in Waushara County during the Great Depression, Apps has written extensively about his childhood and agricultural history. In Jerry Apps: Meet Us at the Fair, he explains the historical significance of fairs and builds on his memories as a 4-H leader, fair judge and lifelong fairgoer that he wrote about in his book, "Meet Me on the Midway: A History of Wisconsin Fairs," published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press.

The documentary visits several Wisconsin fairs across the state, and fair lovers of all ages join Apps in sharing their own treasured memories of what county fairs mean to them.
Apps says, “Fairs are one of those institutions that have become traditional. That’s not to suggest that they haven’t changed. The fact that they have changed is one of the reasons that they continue.”

With Apps as a historical guide and storyteller, Jerry Apps: Meet Us at the Fair breaks down the elements of what makes a fair: not only the sights, sounds and smells of the midway, but also an intimate look at showing animals, exhibiting projects, being involved in 4-H and FFA, and volunteering at the event.

In addition to exploring the agricultural impact and historical significance that fairs have made in our state, the documentary celebrates the ways fairs continue to build community.

“Fairs go way beyond just something for farmers,” says Apps. “In my judgment, fairs are one way of helping bring rural and urban America together … That’s the natural way of coming together, and fairs allow for that.”

PBS Wisconsin is a service of the Educational Communications Board and University of Wisconsin-Madison.

PBS Wisconsin is a place to grow through learning on WHA-TV, Madison; WPNE-TV, Green Bay; WHRM-TV, Wausau; WLEF-TV, Park Falls; WHLA-TV, La Crosse; and WHWC-TV, Menomonie-Eau Claire.

-END-