WEST ALLIS — The Expo Center at the Wisconsin State Fair has dozens and dozens of all sorts of vendors. Given that, there are certainly some different, interesting, and cool items for sale. These are the ones I thought were the coolest.
Whiskey in a Week
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Rutledge Ellis-Behnke invented a way to speed up the whiskey-making process. He cut the time from a few years to just a few days.
"I thought this, you know, actually gives people an opportunity to learn something about not only the process but what they like to drink and not what somebody else is trying to sell them," he said.
I thought this was quite the impressive accomplishment. But I had to know, why isn't this more widely known or done?
"Well, why didn’t everyone fly before the Wright Brothers? It just, you know, I came up with something new and took the time to figure it out," Ellis-Behnke said.
Spa
Next, on to a $42,000 spa with nearly 30 jets. That is what I want in my future backyard one day.
Maps
Continuing with the theme of things I want in the future, a vendor was selling Wisconsin-inspired medieval maps with locations of all the state’s breweries, cheese companies, state parks and way more.
Christmas Ornaments
What I was surprised to find were tons of Christmas ornaments. Like the ones at D and D Cards and Gifts and Callister's Christmas.
“It’s never too easy to start Christmas shopping. I’ve already done a little myself - shh don’t tell," Nicole Schaefer of D and D Cards and Gifts in Grafton said.
True, never too early. But still, I wasn’t expecting that. Just like I wasn’t expecting to find wonderfully adorable dachshund figurines dressed in different uniforms.
Taffy
Now to those who like guessing games, here is a sweet one for you from Candyman on Main in West Bend. If you fill a bag with exactly one pound of taffy, you get it for free. Be careful, though. It has to be exactly one pound and one piece of taffy can be the deciding factor.
Paddle Board
Last but not least was a giant, 16-foot-tall paddle board for sale by Paddle North. It fits as many people as you want to put on it, but it's recommended you do two to eight people. The cost for this mega board was $1,200.
