Jerry Apps

Wisconsin county fairs forge tradition and reunion

– Kay Peterson: Every year, we probably visit at least three or four different county fairs, and it’s always interesting to see the different things, ideas that we can bring back to our own fair.

And it’s just a lot of fun.

– Carolyn Meyer: It’s great to see what the community is doing.

It’s great to see what these kids are accomplishing, whether it be completing a project that we’re going to see in the exhibit building where there’s food and sewing and flower arrangements and that type of thing, or whether it’s some child that is trying to lead an uncooperative calf in the show ring.

It’s just fun to see what everybody has accomplished.

– Audrey Belter: You can’t believe all the people you see and you recognize them from years and years ago.

– Bill Deppe: I see people, you know, that I haven’t seen or sometimes the people I’ve met, this is about the only place I see ’em is at the fair.

And then, when our kids got into 4-H, it was like a reunion for me, because a lot of the people that were in 4-H when I was in were back with their kids.

So it was kind of fun to get to see all those people again and renew old friendships.

– David Laatsch: Every fair is the best fair in the people’s minds in that community.

And the problems that occur at a fair are the same no matter which part of the state you’re in.

There is always an electrical problem.

There’s a water problem.

There’s always the same flooding that occurs at every fair.

But then when the fair is over, everybody has the same satisfaction that this is our community and this is is our fair.

[upbeat music]