Posted by Bruce Bilmes and Sue Boyle
, July 29, 2008 10:56
Photo by Andrew Kroening / Wisconsin State Fair
It’s all about the cream puffs. Wisconsin is crazy for state fair cream puffs! The Wisconsin Bakers Association produces hundreds of thousands of cream puffs each year for the fair. You read that right, hundreds of thousands! They’re so popular, they’ve set up a pre-ordering system, and a drive-thru window for early morning pickup. The cream puffs even have their own website!
There are other good things to eat at the Wisconsin State Fair. Like buttered corn-on-the-cob. Or a pork chop on a stick. Or a grilled cheese sandwich made with Wisconsin cheddar. Or maple cotton candy, fried cheese curds, a traditional Wisconsin Friday fish fry, hot beef, Sheboygan brats, fresh strawberry sundaes, Rice Krispie bars on a stick, tortes, strudel, Hungarian sausage, cinnamon rolls, stuffed cabbage, potato pancakes, Door County fish boil… anything here sound good? Note that August 5th is Crazy Grazin’ Day. That means vendors will be offering smaller portions for those who want to get a taste of as much as possible.
The first Wisconsin State Fair took place in 1851 in Janesville. It’s been held in West Allis since 1892. The fair’s been cancelled five times since 1851; three of those cancellations were due to the Civil War!
There will of course be activities to occupy your time while you’re building up an appetite for more of those Wisconsin specialties. Get the whole scoop at the state fair website.
