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2025 Wisconsin State Fair Preview · Ask The Experts

• 0:04
  Speaker 1: Thirteen to ten, Wiba and Madison in the morning while
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: you can feel it in the air. It is fair season,
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: just a few days away from the greatest eleven days
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: of summer here in Wisconsin, and joining us from the
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Wisconsin State Fairs. Their communication manager Tim McCormick. Tim, how
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: are you doing this morning?
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  Speaker 2: I'm great. The countdown is on. We are very excited
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  Speaker 2: to start welcoming folks to our fairgrounds.
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  Speaker 1: It's exciting. And you and I were talking a bit
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: before we came on air this morning, and you were
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: pointing out, we're less than a week away from the
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: state Fair, aren't.
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  Speaker 2: We, Hey, we are. We are begins Thursday, July thirty first,
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  Speaker 2: and runs through August tenth, so make sure it mark
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  Speaker 2: your calendars.
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  Speaker 1: Let's talk about that just real quick before we get
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: into some of the specifics state fair. Obviously, state fairs
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  Speaker 1: across the country are a big deal here in Wisconsin.
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, what a big event this is, and
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  Speaker 1: it seems to grow every single year. Let's talk a
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  Speaker 1: little bit about the history of state fair here in Wisconsin,
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  Speaker 1: and I know things are always always changing, and we'll
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  Speaker 1: talk about some of the new stuff as well. But
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  Speaker 1: a little bit about the history of the state fair
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  Speaker 1: here in the state of Wisconsin.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we are celebrating our one hundred and seventy fourth
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  Speaker 2: State Fair, so again Market Calendar's next year, that one
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  Speaker 2: seventy five is going to be a big milestone for us.
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  Speaker 2: We love welcoming folks to our nearly twenty acre campus
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  Speaker 2: here in West Dallas. We think we're very unique in
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  Speaker 2: the fact that we're just minutes from downtown Milwaukee, but
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  Speaker 2: we have so many partners and vendors and folks that
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  Speaker 2: are putting on agricultural displays that really represents the state
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  Speaker 2: of Wisconsin. We are one of the most highly attended
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  Speaker 2: state fairs throughout the country, usually drawing more than a
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  Speaker 2: million people a year. And this year, actually the readers,
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  Speaker 2: the editors I'm sorry at USA Today nominated us as
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  Speaker 2: one of the ten best state fairs in the country,
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  Speaker 2: So you know it's a big deal. When we kept
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  Speaker 2: Serota is.
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  Speaker 1: That is very very cool to see and not surprising
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  Speaker 1: the here because having had a chance to go to
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: not only obviously the Wisconsin State Fair many many times,
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  Speaker 1: and other state fairs and they're all really really good,
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  Speaker 1: but there's nothing like the Wisconsin State Fair. You mentioned
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  Speaker 1: the campus as well. In such a convenient location as
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: we talk here in Madison, it's a very short commute,
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  Speaker 1: very easy to access, and I've always been impressed by
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  Speaker 1: that is the fair grounds are a perfect mix of
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  Speaker 1: very obviously very near Milwaukee, very easy to get to
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  Speaker 1: right off the interstate. But when you get on the
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  Speaker 1: fair grounds, it doesn't I don't know how to describe it.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe it's the smells and the sounds, but it has
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  Speaker 1: that feel of it's a very and maybe it's just
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  Speaker 1: again the fact that that it's it's a fair ground,
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: but it just feels very rural. It has a very
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: I don't know how it is, but it kind of
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  Speaker 1: like it like takes you there, if that makes sense
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  Speaker 1: to him.
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  Speaker 2: Right, it's unique in that respect again, you know, nearly
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  Speaker 2: two hundred acres. We do have a lot of facilities
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  Speaker 2: that are built specifically for agricultural display because that is
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  Speaker 2: such a large part of Wisconsin's his streak. But it's
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  Speaker 2: also unique that we have, you know, this purpose built
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  Speaker 2: baregrounds here. A lot of places might just put up
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  Speaker 2: a tent for a week or so. We find that
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  Speaker 2: that infrastructure is really convenient for us. We can work
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  Speaker 2: year round on improvements such as our brand new dairy building,
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  Speaker 2: which just finish up eleven months of renovations. There available
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  Speaker 2: for year round events. So if you want to get
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  Speaker 2: married in the Dairy building, one could be more Wisconsin
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  Speaker 2: than that. But it's also the place where where you
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  Speaker 2: will find that iconic dessert, the cream puff.
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  Speaker 1: This year, did I and Tim? Did I catch this
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  Speaker 1: right with? Since we've got the renovated dairy building, there's
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  Speaker 1: going to be some new offerings with the cream puff?
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  Speaker 1: Is there something there go tell us about that?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, we're very excited. With that new state of the
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  Speaker 2: arts bakery, they could get a little more creative. So
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  Speaker 2: we've got some plans in the works for future years,
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  Speaker 2: but this year we're very excited. We have, of course
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  Speaker 2: the original cream puff, everybody's favorite, but we've also introduced
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  Speaker 2: chocolate for all eleven days of the state and thanks
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: for our friends at us Failure, which are celebrating twenty
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  Speaker 2: years of partnership with the Wisconsin State Fair, we have
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  Speaker 2: a celebration strawberry cream Puff. I had chance to taste
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  Speaker 2: test one of those the other day. I guarantee you
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  Speaker 2: will have an ear to ear smile if you get
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  Speaker 2: one of those in your belly. They are available in
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  Speaker 2: limited edition runs, so you want to be sure to
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  Speaker 2: make your way to the dairy building early to make
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  Speaker 2: sure you can secure one of those.
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  Speaker 1: As we talk about getting ready for the Wisconsin State
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  Speaker 1: Fair and we talk about some limited edition things and
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  Speaker 1: of course concerts and other things going on, you definitely
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  Speaker 1: want to head over to wistatefair dot com. That's wistatefair
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  Speaker 1: dot com. Ticket information and tickets available as well online.
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  Speaker 1: And speaking of amazing partners, you mentioned us Cellular, I
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: did see Bank five to nine as signed on. They
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  Speaker 1: are sponsoring your main stage. Let's talk about the main
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  Speaker 1: stage event. That is a separate ticket. Obviously, the ticket
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  Speaker 1: includes admission to the State Fair, but you guys are
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  Speaker 1: able to bring in with that some really big acts
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  Speaker 1: that I saw Leonard Skinnard among others coming to the
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  Speaker 1: State Fair this year.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, very excited and like you said, a great value preposition.
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  Speaker 2: With your ticket to the main stage acts, you do
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  Speaker 2: get admission to the State Fair that day as well,
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  Speaker 2: so you're taking care of their But like you said,
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  Speaker 2: Leonard Skinnard, Darius Rucker, John Pardi, I know a lot
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  Speaker 2: of the headbangers are excited for Queen's Rice with Great
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  Speaker 2: White and Quiet Riot. We've even got a little bit
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  Speaker 2: of comedy in there with Gabriel Fluffy Fluffy Iglesias. So yeah, again,
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  Speaker 2: just like every other offering at the State Fair, we
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  Speaker 2: try to make sure that we have something for everybody. So,
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  Speaker 2: like you said, check out wistatefair dot com. Check out
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  Speaker 2: how you can get your tickets to those shows.
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  Speaker 1: Those are going to be great, great shows. It's going
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  Speaker 1: to be great events again, running eleven days, kicking off
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  Speaker 1: July thirty first, running through August tenth. All those details
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  Speaker 1: available wistatefair dot com. And along those entertainment lines there
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  Speaker 1: are what thirty stages free stage shows as well.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so literally of free stages of entertainment all throughout
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  Speaker 2: the eleven day run featuring your favorite regional and local
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  Speaker 2: acts plus roving performers. Again, with two hundred acres here,
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  Speaker 2: just about every corner is going to be packed with
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  Speaker 2: some sort of fun activity for you and the.
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  Speaker 1: Fam and the Midway as well. Yeah, Spin City is
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: is legendary, and that's I think about, you know, bringing
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  Speaker 1: the family, and I know all of us have that
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: that one person that loves to ride all the rides
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  Speaker 1: and that adventure type, and that's awesome. I'm one of those.
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: I'm always the ride along with them and I love
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  Speaker 1: doing that stuff. You also have things for folks that
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  Speaker 1: are that are looking for some other other things. I
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  Speaker 1: think of nothing beats a little bit of sweet corn
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  Speaker 1: and h and kind of taken in the agricultural part
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  Speaker 1: of it as well. And of course we can't forget
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  Speaker 1: of course it being at the state Fair. A lot
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  Speaker 1: of livestock and other opportunities there not only to uh
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  Speaker 1: to learn something, but but see some great work done
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  Speaker 1: by by kids across the state. When it comes to raising, uh,
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  Speaker 1: they're they're.
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: Livestock raising their livestock, creating artwork, looking at some of
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  Speaker 2: the older folks creating quilt taking photos. I think there's
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  Speaker 2: home brewing and wine making competitions. So like I said,
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  Speaker 2: it's like no other fair. It celebrates the history, the
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  Speaker 2: industry and the people of Wisconsin. So again, when you
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  Speaker 2: see those folks win those ribbons and they have those
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  Speaker 2: ear to ear grins, again, it's a feeling like no other.
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  Speaker 2: And when you get to share in a little bit
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  Speaker 2: of that, it's a memory made for a lifetime.
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  Speaker 1: Talking this morning with Tim McCormick. Tim comes to us
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  Speaker 1: from the Wisconsin State Fair again. The eleven days kicks
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  Speaker 1: off July thirty. First, all the details online Wystatefair dot com.
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  Speaker 1: That's Wistatefair dot com. Before we wrap, we've got to
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: talk about food. Everything on a stick and one of
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  Speaker 1: the cool things you guys have been doing the past
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  Speaker 1: few years sporkies and drinkies. And for folks that don't know,
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  Speaker 1: this has really got quite competitive amongst the amongst the
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  Speaker 1: vendors to be submitted and be a finalist for these
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  Speaker 1: for these awards.
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  Speaker 2: Big breaking rights at stake here. We just back in
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  Speaker 2: June announced the sport, Keys and drinkies finalists. Some of
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  Speaker 2: those that you might check out during the fair. A
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  Speaker 2: hunk a Honk Fat Elvis Donut ice cream sandwich.
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  Speaker 1: What a name they are alone.
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  Speaker 2: We're very excited. It seems like the Broughtworst is having
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  Speaker 2: a moment, although in Wisconsin that might be every summer.
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  Speaker 2: We've got blueberry breakfast brought Worst. We've got a bratt
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  Speaker 2: rangoon looking towards the drinkies finalist. Some great refreshers there,
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  Speaker 2: including some non alcoholic versions so that everybody can take
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  Speaker 2: part in the competition there, Carnival Cooler, dirty Pancakes, purple
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  Speaker 2: rain refresher, I think you can imagine who that was
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  Speaker 2: inspired by. And then of course the Dubai Chocolate Strawberry smoothie.
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  Speaker 2: It seems like Dubai Chocolate is also having a moment.
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  Speaker 2: So we've got more than a few options there that
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  Speaker 2: you can check out throughout the run of the Wisconsin
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  Speaker 2: State Fair.
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  Speaker 1: It should be a lot of fun. The giant slide
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  Speaker 1: up and ready to.
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  Speaker 2: Go just about I keep on joking with my family
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  Speaker 2: that that's what I'm doing all day, is just testing
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: that to make sure it's running early. But I got
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  Speaker 2: to look see the other day they are putting some
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  Speaker 2: finishing touches on it. So again, for kids of all ages,
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  Speaker 2: they have to make that memory an annual tradition here
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  Speaker 2: at the State Fair.
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  Speaker 1: Definitely is a great photo opportunity as well. I know
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  Speaker 1: a lot of folks for generations have as you mentioned,
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  Speaker 1: of course that's something that they always do, and of
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  Speaker 1: course getting pictures of it as as well. What a
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  Speaker 1: great week it's going to be eleven days, as a
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  Speaker 1: matter of fact, more than a week. Eleven days backing
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  Speaker 1: it in July thirty first through August tenth. It is
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  Speaker 1: the Wisconsin State Fair. Information available tickets as well at
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: wystatefair dot com. That's wistatefair dot com. Tim McCormick with
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  Speaker 1: the State Fair News comes your way next right here
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  Speaker 1: on thirteen ten WIBA