Lifetime members of the Shawano County Fair will be getting into the fairgrounds by different means when the fair starts its latest run Sept. 2.
The Shawano Area Agricultural Society is now issuing cards to lifetime members that can be used year after year, according to society President Scott Breitrick. Previously, lifetime members received wristbands each year that had to be mailed out to those members who did not make it to the fair office to pick them up.
The new cards have QR codes that will be scanned by volunteers at entry points.
Last year, the fair had more than 70,000 visitors, Breitrick said, but there was no way to count how many of those who came through the gates were lifetime members. The cards will help to determine that, he said, as the regular season passes will remain the standard wristbands the society has used for years.
“We honestly don’t know how many lifetime members come in,” Breitrick said. “We had no way to track it. This card will keep forever, so it’s not like we’ve got to send a wristband every year. That was an expense for us.”
Returning to the fair this year are the monster trucks, Breitrick said. The event kicks off at 1 p.m. Sept. 7 at the grandstand, but prior to that, Shawano Area United Way and Ho-Chunk Gaming are sponsoring an inflatable race where people in inflatable costumes like dinosaurs can run 40 yards on the pit lane. Admission for the truck rally will be $20 for adults and $10 for children, with 2 and younger getting in free.
There will be plenty of bands playing throughout the fair beneath the grandstand, on the midway and in President’s Park. A new addition to this year’s fair is Shotgun Jane, based out of Janesville. The band will perform at 8 p.m. Sept. 6 and will showcase a mix of pop and rock-country.
“The bands are always a big thing under the grandstand,” Breitrick said. “We have a band on the midway stage every day this year. We’ve got more bands than we ever had. Cherry Pie’s on for Saturday night, and they’ve been a big attraction.”
One of the biggest events at the fair is the livestock auction, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 4 in the coliseum. Breitrick said there will be some new rubber mats in the coliseum as exhibitors show their animals for people to bid on.
“It’s just the excitement of people wanting to buy, and kids going out and physically asking people to come,” he said. “It’s really great for us.”
The fair will hold its usual opening ceremony on the midway Sept. 2 at 6 p.m. Shawano County Clerk Raymond Rigsby will be the featured speaker as the fair celebrates the United States’ 250th anniversary.
The anniversary celebration will really be noticeable the following night as Fireworks Country shoots off fireworks after dusk.
“It’ll be bigger and better than ever,” Breitrick said.
Bingo continues to be a big draw for the fair, according to Breitrick. The games commence at 5 p.m. Sept. 3 and then at 12:30 p.m. Sept. 4-7.
“I’m sure that will be packed a lot of days,” Breitrick said. “It’s hard sometimes to find a chair, even.”
Breitrick noted the fair has been lucky to have the last two seasons where rain didn’t fall during the day, allowing for plenty of people to come check out the animals, exhibits, carnival rides and more.
“We got lucky last year that it rained during the night, and it was nice the next morning,” Breitrick said. “That’s all that we can do is hope for good weather.”
lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com
America’s Dairyland includes plenty of representation from Shawano County’s cows, most of them raised by local 4-H members. (File | NEW Media)
Goats and other animals will be paraded around the coliseum for most of the Shawano County Fair, with the big event being the livestock auction Sept. 4. (File | NEW Media)
Artwork and other items are featured in part of the commercial building each year, many of them winning blue ribbons and all of them attracting attention from more than 70,000 fair visitors. (File | NEW Media)
The midway will feature plenty of games and rides — not to mention a variety of foods, including offerings from some local organizations. (File | NEW Media)
There are plenty of creative and colorful names for the chickens and other animals that will be on display at this year’s Shawano County Fair. (File | NEW Media)
