WEST ALLIS — While the number of people who attended the Wisconsin State Fair this summer is certainly larger than last year, it was the lowest attendance rate since 2009.
Over the span of 11 days, 841, 074 people walked through the gates to enjoy the fair after a year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There were 289,498 more people in attendance in 2019 than this year.
While the numbers weren't as high as pre-pandemic days, the fair still was a "tremendous accomplishment."
“We have an overwhelming amount of gratitude for the opportunity to have hosted the 170th Wisconsin State Fair and celebrate everything we should be so proud of in our great state,” said Kathleen O’Leary, chief executive officer of Wisconsin State Fair Park. “Seeing smiling faces enter our gates again after 724 days was a tremendous accomplishment for our staff, vendors, exhibitors, and board of directors. While we were faced with challenging weather conditions for several days, we persevered to provide the best experience possible for all.”
Over 8,000 animals were entered in competitions and over 7,000 competitive exhibit entries were judged. There were over 2,500 exhibitors that participated in competitions like livestock shows, horticulture, textiles, crafts, culinary, cheese, meat wine and others.
The Governor's Blue Ribbon Livestock Auction raised over $303,800, along with the nearly $109,000 raised in the Governor's Blue Ribbon Meat Products Auction. Additionally, the Blue Ribbon Dairy Products Auction raised over $54,000.
Out of the nearly half million dollars raised in funds, a significant portion will benefit Wisconsin's youth agriculture programs and provide scholarships.
Almost 300,000 Original Cream Puffs were sold by the Wisconsin Bakers Association, and the Real Wisconsin Cheese Grill sold over 47,000 grilled cheese sandwiches. The Wisconsin Potato Growers sold more than 26,000 baked potatoes.
The 2022 Wisconsin State Fair will take place Aug. 4 - 14.
