'The best place to be:' Sunday marks final day of 172nd annual Wisconsin State Fair

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- From the cream puffs to the live music to the *insert whatever* on a stick, the Wisconsin State Fair is one of the summer's hottest events, and on Sunday, the 11-day run came to a close.

This year marked the 172nd annual event and hundreds of thousands came from not only across the state but the region to experience the fun.

Clare Krupar and nine-year-old Adalynn Miller spent the day with their family.

“Traditions, family traditions, I think we come every year and we do the same things and that’s really fun and important and we keep that alive every year," Krupar said. “We have friends enter pigs and goats and stuff and that’s cool too, to get to be a part of that even though we’re not farmers or anything.”

Miller, between bites of a frozen chocolate-covered banana with sprinkles, said her favorite part was "playing games" and eating "lots of food."

"Everybody come to the fair!" Miller exclaimed. 

Others wanted to check out the music scene.

“We’re coming to see Trace Adkins tonight," said Elaine Koehler. “There’s the midway that you can take your kids to, there’s obviously food everywhere and just walking around, they have animals here for you to bring the kids to see animals. It's the best gathering place to be.”

Sunday marked Marcell Eiland's second time to the fair.

“Just walking around seeing all my friends I haven’t seen in years," Eiland said, pointing to his friends Jayson Huffman and Darius Rahming, who were working at one of the lemonade stands on the fairgrounds.

"It's been busy, very busy, a lot of work," Rahming said, noting that the best lemonade is made with "extra sugar."

Huffman added that it's been a good experience helping make the lemonade for all of the thirsty festgoers.

“I love working here, it’s kind of fun though, seeing everybody and that’s what’s pretty fun, it’s great," Huffman said.

While this year's official attendance numbers have not yet been released, last year, more than 1,000,000 people walked through the gates.

The 2024 state fair is set for August 1st through the 11th.