It’s an Oconto County tradition that’s been going strong for almost 90 years.
The Oconto County Youth Fair is scheduled for Thursday through Sunday, Aug. 21-24, at Zippel Park in Gillett.
The park has hosted the fair since its inception, according to Cindy Arndt, secretary of the fair’s board of directors.
“This will be our 84th year, and it’s always been at Zippel Park,” she said. “The Zippel family created and left that land, and the only thing they asked is we aren’t allowed to charge admission to the fair. That’s part of being able to use those grounds. We have to come up with other creative ways to raise money to keep the fair going. We rely heavily on all of our sponsors.”
Thousands of county residents from children to senior citizens have exhibited their animals and other items over those 8 1/2 decades, according to Arndt.
“It has brought many youths into the arena to show their animals and other exhibits,” she said. “It gives kids the opportunity to step out, get their feet wet and get into dealing with the public and speaking in public. I was a 4-H leader for 10 years, and when I would go to school conferences, the teachers would always say, ‘When kids have to speak, we can always pick out a 4-H kid, because they’re able to get up in front of a group at a young age and be able to speak.’”
Although visitors to this year’s fair will see some familiar attractions, such as the midway carnival, there will also be new things to see.
Those new features will begin Aug. 20, the day before the fair’s official opening day.
“We will have food trucks, in and we’ll have a mariachi band playing and mechanical bull riding,” Arndt said. “Food trucks will be there at 4:30 and the rest of the stuff starts at 6 and goes until 9. We’ve never done that before.
“The only food vendors that we actually have on the property are with the carnival. (The food trucks) is something new we’re trying to do this year. The local 4-H association out of Oconto County has a food stand, as well as the Lions Club and the Gillett Civic Club.”
Organizers always try to find something for children as well as adults.
“We have a group that’s doing magic tricks,” Arndt said. “We have a gentleman, Randy Peterson, who’s coming to sing. We have bingo on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.”
Christman Amusements of Wautoma will provide midway rides at this year’s fair.
“I think this is only their third year of doing that, and they’re always well-received by the community,” Arndt said.
Presale tickets at a discounted price of $20 for carnival rides are available at Peshtigo National Bank branches in Gillett and Oconto Falls; N.E.W. Credit Union branches in Oconto Falls and Suring; and Gillett Handi-Works in Gillett.
Wristband hours are 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Aug. 21; noon to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Aug. 22-23; and noon to 4 p.m. Aug. 24.
Weather can play a role in attendance, and Arndt said it’s too early to tell if that will be the case this year.
“If it’s really hot or a rain event that’s going to last a few hours, that does affect attendance,” she said. “We can’t house everything that kids take to the fair. We will have the horse show and cat and dog show on Saturday, Aug. 16, for people who would like to come and check that out.”
Exhibitors put a lot of work into their fair projects, especially farm animals.
“It’s not just a summer project, these are year-round projects with a lot of work, a lot of sweat and tears,” Arndt said. “We don’t just limit this to just 4-H or FFA kids. We do have an open class for juniors, an open class for anyone 20 years and older and a nursing home category. We have a group who makes a quilt and enters it in the veterans category. Names are drawn and the quilts are given to veterans.”
This year’s fair will also include a swine show with special guests.
“We will have a swine show for special needs people,” she said. “They get to follow a mentor all day on Aug. 21 and see what they do. At 5 p.m., they’re going to show a swine themselves. It’s not going to be something they own, it’s probably going to be one of their mentors. Some of these children have ADHD or have special needs, so we try to keep the lights low and don’t clap until everything’s done so they feel comfortable going into the ring.”
The sale of champions is scheduled for noon on Aug. 24, the final day of the fair.
Local businesses, organizations and individuals purchase the animals.
“All the qualifying animals will be sold,” Arndt said. “That’s one of the last big things that will close out the fair.”
Other scheduled events include a truck pull on Aug. 22 and a tractor pull on Aug. 23.
Planning has already started for next year’s fair, according to Arndt.
“We’ve already done some of the things for next year like booking a couple of bands,” she said. “It’s an all-year thing. We try to get our judges in January or February so we have everything ready by the time it comes for the fair.”
Arndt is unsure of how many people attend the fair each year, but estimated crowds to be in the thousands.
“Since we can’t charge admission, it’s kind of hard to say for sure how many come,” she said. “I saw more people starting to come back out again in the last three years.”
Arndt joined the fair’s board of directors last October, but is no stranger to attending the event.
“I was a 4-Her from age 8-18,” she said. “I’m 68, and I’ve probably only missed four.”
She said there’s a good reason to visit the fair.
“I think it’s checking out what the youths of the county have done and seeing the different exhibits that come in,” she said. “You meet your neighbor, have a chat, maybe you haven’t seen that person in awhile. I think it’s just a great place to come, have a good time and enjoy the company that’s there.”
