Wisconsin State Fair returns but some things will look different
By Web Staff
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WEST ALLIS, Wisconsin (WISN) — Final preparations are well underway for the first Wisconsin State Fair in two years.
With opening day on Thursday, WISN 12 got an inside look at some of the changes for this year.
Slim McGinn was busy Monday putting the final touches of his kitchen.
“We have our 10,000 Rueben rolls,” he said.
Boxes and trays of are ready to adorn.
“A bloody Mary with a Reuben roll on top of it for dipping,” McGinn explained. “It’s one thing that hasn’t been added to a bloody Mary yet — is a Reuben!”
It’s the quirky mixed with the classics.
“I can’t wait to see people on that opening day come in and get that (cream) puff and be able to watch them in the window being made. It’s going to be a lot of fun,” cream puffs co-director Tim Gill said.
Organizers have also been busy with new COVID-19 measures.
“What they’ll see is hundreds of additional hand-sanitizer stations throughout our expansive 200-acre fair park,” spokeswoman Tess Kerksen said. “Additionally, we have gone cashless at our parking and admissions, so that’s going to be a little bit different and helps us reduce contact for us, and then lastly our hours of operation have changed. We’re now open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. And on the final Sunday we’ll close at 10 p.m.”
Masks are recommended, but not required.
One thing missing this year is the Milwaukee Bucks Milk House.
Because of the team’s extend championship run, they weren’t able to pull it off in time.
“We really are working in tandem with them,” Kerksen said. “They’re not able to provide us the milk this year, but there’s going to be a great setup at the Bucks milk house. You definitely have to check it out.”
McGinn said the three days leading up to the fair opening were more difficult than the 10 days of excitement.
Organizers at the cream puff pavilion said it will only have cream puffs this year and not blue ribbon brownies or cookies.
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