“45 Days Until the Pierce County Fair”
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Cotton candy, ferris wheels, clowns, rides, cattle, homemade cakes and pies. You can all vividly remember these county fair staples from your childhood. Remember the memories of summer when you and your family traveled to the local fair and spent hours enjoying an American tradition?
Did you know that the first fair in Pierce County was in 1859, in Prescott? Prescott surprises a lot of people. Prescott was also the county seat at that time. The Agriculture Society was the sponsor for the Fair and they moved the Fair to Ellsworth in 1884 and continued to run it at the present location. The fair continued to be run by the Ag Society until 1942 when the county purchased the Fairgrounds. It has been funded by the county ever since.
Our Fairgrounds has one very unique building on it that most Fairs do not, a round barn. The round barn was built in 1920, for a total cost of $36,000. The Agriculture Society sold shares for $50.00 to build this building. When the round barn was recently reshingled, it took 17,334 shingles, 69,336 nails, with every shingle having to be cut to fit. This is 52,002 feet of shingles, or 10 miles. Over 200 gallons of paint was used recently to spruce up the outside appearance by the summer grounds crew. Be sure to take a good look at this amazing structure when you visit our fairgrounds.
This year, we are excited about celebrating our 130th Fair. Our theme is “Pierce County Fair – A Slice of Wisconsin”. Thursday, August 8 through Sunday, August 11 is when the premier event of summer happens – your county fair. Please come visit with us one or all of the days. We want you to have a pleasant day with us. We hope we will accomplish this by letting you know of the special extras we have for you. On Friday, to honor our Senior Citizens, admission for our 62 & better folks is only $2.00. On Sunday, to honor our Veterans, there will be free admission for anyone who served in the military. Regular daily admission is $5.00. With lots of shade, blacktopped pathways, plenty of benches and picnic tables, it makes a comfortable and enjoyable experience for everyone.
Don’t forget, though, the Fair is actually a 4-day event. We open on Thursday, August 8th and round off the activities on Sunday, August 11th. Take advantage of the hourly FREE entertainment. That is a heck of a value for the cost of admission.
Come for the food too. If you are looking for corn dogs and cotton candy, we have it. Or the home cooked specials from the church stands. From the huge breakfasts, to a sizzling hamburger or the homemade pies, you can’t beat any of it. It makes your mouth water just thinking about it.
Of course, the absolute highlight of our fair is our 4-H & open class exhibits. From the 4-H chocolate chip cookies to the intricately detailed heirloom quilt, the Pierce County Fair has it all. Did you realize that we have over 11,000 entries and over 8,500 exhibits? We are extremely proud of the number of projects that are available for your viewing pleasure. There is live animal judging going on throughout the fair. Go watch a cattle show, stroll through the photography exhibits, taste a great meal and then relax under a big shade tree enjoying the free entertainment or chatting with a former acquaintance. Plan to spend the day.
Contact the Fair Office at 715-273-6874 or check out the web for information on entertainment, grandstand events and the like at www.co.pierce.wi.us/fair/fair_main.html. We will be updating this frequently as Fair plans are finalized. “Pierce County Fair – A Slice of Wisconsin” includes all of you. Remember it’s your fair. Like us on Facebook at “Pierce County Fair and Fairground (WI)”.