Waukesha County Fair Time

How quickly this month seems to sneak up on me every year, but at the same time, I am always very excited to see it come. I have worked for the Waukesha County Fair for the past ten (maybe more) years and it's coming up just next week!

I could not ask to work with a better team at the Fair each year and help make this great family tradition happen. The Fair Association is an amazing group of people to work with and their fantastic Executive Director makes sure there is something for everyone at the Fair. Though I have seen it all - rain, hail, wind, heat advisories, drought conditions, cold, and perfect temps & sunshine, I wouldn't change a moment of it. You can't control the weather, so we roll with it, and have a great time. That's part of living in Wisconsin, right?

The Waukesha County Fair is the oldest fair in the state of Wisconsin and the largest even in Waukesha County, held at the Waukesha County Expo Grounds. The Fair runs July 15 - 19 for the 173rd time!

When I'm not working, my main focus at the Fair is checking out all the new foods, obviously and I have tried some really great things in the past year. The new foods list has been released and a few of the items have peaked my interest. Ruben tots from Jayme's Chopstix and the beer brisket sandwich from Sprecher top that list.

Last year I tried the Adult Root Beer Float from Sprecher that had a little whiskey kick in it and the deep fried Oreos from another vendor that were divine. I tried the nachos from the community tent and they were worth every penny (though they were extremely reasonable!) A Fair staple for me are Bubba's chicken strips from Silver Spur. That is typically my lunch on Saturday or Sunday. They are so tasty - that perfect sweet and salty combination.

And you can't forget about the desserts. The 4-H kitchen has cream puffs (a Fair tradition), ice cream sundaes, dipped cones, and many other sweet treats. Not to mention it's located in one of the Fairgrounds' air conditioned buildings, so it's a great place to cool off. I also have to get myself a funnel cake every year!

You really can't go wrong with what you eat at the Fair. I have yet to find something that I didn't like and I'm on the grounds all five days of the Fair, so I have had a lot of the food.

The Fair has great local bands on the side stages in addition to National Recording artists on their Main Stage - Rodney Atkins, REO Speedwagon, Jackyl & Quiet Riot and Three Dog Night are the evening concerts.

Hot Air Balloons, a Shark Show, rides, games, animals, exhibits, demolition derby, truck pulls, children's activities and so much more. You truly can find something for everyone at the County Fair. And you can do it inexpensively. Each day there is a way to get in for a discount and if you act now, you can save buy buying tickets in advance!

The Fair kicks off on Wednesday (7/15) at noon and it's just $1 to get in, $1 to park and $1.25 per ride. Talk about a bargain! And once you are in the gates, besides the midway rides & games and what you want to eat, everything is included in your admission - even the main stage shows.



So if you need to reach me next week, you know where you can find me - I'll be on the grounds taking in the sights and sounds of the Fair and hoping to get the Fair the best media coverage around. 

Fair Food

This past week, I worked at the Waukesha County Fair for my company. I was on the grounds everyday for long hours and this gave me the opportunity to look at all the different foods and eventually try them. I have to get myself ready for the Wisconsin State Fair and what better way to start but at the Fair that leads up to State.

I didn't eat all of the items below but I had some great food sampler friends that allowed me to share their eats on the blog too!

Nachos - these will be back at the Fair next year - hopefully. This was a meal for two, but when I was ridiculously hungry on Saturday afternoon, I polished them off all on my own :) Seasoned chicken, nice freshly made chips, beans and cheese. They then provided jalepenos, sour cream and salsa to add on your own. All this for just $7 - it was amazing! 

Deep Fried Oreos - I know they have these at State Fair and I had them last year - AMAZING. The cookie gets soft from the frying and they are almost like whoopie pies.

Chicken on a Stick - Locate an Asian food stand and this should be an easy find.  It was marinated in terriyaki sauce and my friend ate it so fast because it was delicious.

Whiskey Flavored Ice Cream Root Beer Float - Sprecher was at the Waukesha County Fair for the first time this year, and I just needed something sweet on Saturday night. This hit the spot and the whiskey flavor really comes out when the ice cream melts into the root beer a bit.

I didn't' eat these, but aren't these hedgehog cookies too cute :) 

Gyros from Niko's Gyros  - They do the Fair and Festival circuit and have excellent Gyros. The meat was nice and flavorful and they gave me extra tzaziki sauce which I love!

Taco - for just $2 each, you were provided flavored meat and all the toppings you could want. My mom was really happy with her selection. My dad went for the chicken nachos and he agreed they are great!

We now have a Celebrity Cream Puff eating contest using people famous for supporting our Fair. I'm not a fan of cream puffs, but our Fair celebrities really enjoyed themselves!

Funnel Cakes - This is my favorite Fair food ever. It takes me back to the days of when my church festival, St. Joseph in Big Bend, would have funnel cakes. The booth would constantly pop the circuit breaker from cooking so many and overheating the little fryers. But they sold like crazy and they were selling like crazy at the Fair too! It is just so delicious and easy to share. I did choke on the powdered sugar, but it's not a funnel cake until you do :)

So next up is State Fair and I have a few new foods that I am excited to try so I really hope I get there some night. Topping the list is Peanut Butter Bacon Bison Burger, Shark on a stick, and the BBQ Chicken Cone. My eats from last year were pretty good, so I'm hoping for the same result this year :)


They even have a Gluten-Friendly menu - that is awesome!

Waukesha County Fair

You may or may not know that my company works media relations and promotions for the Waukesha County Fair . And for the last eight years, I have put in the extra hours to make sure we get the Fair the best  media coverage we are capable of for this organization.

We have had good Fairs and bad (many more good than bad, but you can't control the weather) but regardless, I could not ask to work with a nicer group of volunteers and one heck of an amazing Executive Director who put their heart and soul into this Fair to give you the best event in Waukesha County every year. If you see them on the Fairgrounds when you go (yes when, not if!), please thank them for all their work.

As a Foodie, you know that I am always excited when I get the information on the new foods and vendors at this year's Fair.  And again this year, there is no shortage of new and unique eats. I am personally looking forward to trying the Reuben nachos, bacon cream cheese on a stick and John Deere churned ice cream. (I caught a glimpse of this in action at the Jefferson County Fair this weekend and you will be pretty amazed by this feat.)

Not to mention we have some of the Fairgoers' faves back this year - Catfish Johnny's, Black Angus sandwiches, cream puffs, fudge, Silver Spur, jumbo turkey legs and much, much more. You cannot leave this Fair wishing for more variety. We have it all covered!

Every year, I promise myself that by the end of Sunday, I can treat myself to a funnel cake and gorge on the whole thing myself. But I have yet to keep this promise to myself. By the time I am done working and remember to get one, the food vendors are already closing up shop. So it's my goal this year to have one on Saturday night (instead of waiting until Sunday). I'll just walk more on Sunday instead of ride in my snazzy golf cart :)

There is so much more to the Fair than just food, and I'm glad that I get to see it all - Demo Derby, Live Music, 4-H Exhibits, Truck Pulls, Rides, Games, Vendors, Livestock Auction, Alligators, Fun Run, Classic Car Show, Pancake Breakfast, Animals and again, so much more. Just check out that cake above, such detail and skill from someone so young! I love seeing this sort of dedication and these kids are going to be the ones most likely taking care of me when I'm older. This make me feel really good.

I hope you have some time this weekend to come out to the Fair and if you have never been, come see what it's all about. There are great deals almost everyday to help you save on admission and once you are on the grounds, almost everything is free (midway, rides and souvenirs excluded).