There’s something about county and state fairs that really strike a cord with me. Of course, there is all the food, most of it deep fried and none of it good for you, but it goes beyond that. In many ways, these fairs seem so “yesterday.” They seem to belong to a world long gone, where grandmas compete for blue ribbons with their pies and cakes, where young farmers parade their best livestock, and where carnies try to sucker unsuspecting passersby into parting with their hard earned cash for a chance to win some cheap, poorly made stuffed animal. It’s a place where salesmen still compete for crowds and where the art of hawking and barking is still alive and well.

This past week we headed down to Milwaukee (actually West Allis a Milwaukee suburb) to visit the Wisconsin State Fair and once again it did not disappoint. Wisconsin has deep roots as an agricultural state and the Wisconsin State Fair is all about showing off the best of its agricultural products. Of course, a good portion of the fair grounds are taken up with the livestock barns which are jammed packed with farmers and 4-Her’s all there to show off their best livestock, from cows, and pigs to ducks, chickens, rabbits and any other farm animal you can imagine. Dairy also takes center stage, Wisconsin still being one of the most important dairy and cheese making states in the country. Winning a blue ribbon at the Wisconsin State Fair is still considered an important award for many cheesemakers. (continue reading…)

Although we live in Fond du Lac, WI it has been a number of years since we have attended Walleye Weekend, Fond du Lac’s biggest festival of the year. Walleye Weekend got its start in 1978, two years after Mercury Marine (the boat makers) started sponsoring the Mercury National Walleye Tournament, and important fishing tournament on the pro circuit and the largest walleye tournament in the country, attracting 300 teams. The tournament takes place on Lake Winnebago, on which Fond du Lac rests on its southernmost shore. In fact Fond du Lac means “foot of the lake” in French.

The festival that has grown up around this fishing tournament has expanded over the years and now covers most of Lakeside Park’s 400+ acres, offering a little something for everyone, from live animal shows to national music acts to local sports tournaments to family oriented activities of all kinds, and let’s not forget about the food. Food is the real reason for the Walleye Weekend festival. While the festival may not offered the large selection of foods that many other fairs do, what it does offered is standard Wisconsin fare, done up right. Of course, this being Wisconsin, the beer stands are plentiful and open with the opening of the festival each day, no waiting until noon here in Wisconsin. Got to love that! There’s roasted corn on the cob, funnel cakes, burgers and hot dogs. There is also the standard brat, to be found at every festival in Wisconsin, Walleye weekend being no exception. While not imaginative, it’s hard to be beat a good brat, grilled over charcoal, while walking around an open air festival. And what would Walleye Weekend be with out walleye. I ate a killer walleye sandwich made up of a 6 or 7 ounce piece of walleye set on a 6 inch sub rolls and served unadorned except for a smear of tartar sauce. While the fish was just slightly overcooked it was beautifully breaded with a light hand, providing a thin crisp crust which held the fish together. One of the local Kiwanis clubs also claims to serve the World’s Largest Walleye Fish Fry every year at the event, offering two sizes of walleye dinners, both of which are big enough to satiate even the most hungry. I did miss the Cream Puffs, another Wisconsin tradition at fairs. Whether I just missed them or they didn’t make an appearance I’m not sure, but I was looking forward to one. I guess I will just have to wait until the Wisconsin State Fair to satisfy that craving.

While Walleye Weekend has come and gone this year, set your calendars to visit next year. It runs on either the first or second weekend of June. Come and join the approximately 100,000 people who visit the event each year.