Food, fun and farm animals at the State Fair

A lot has changed over the years at the Wisconsin State Fair, from the architecture and layout to the favorite food flings.  Some things have remained the same (even if in name only) with recognizable vendors like Adeline’s and the Star-Lite.  There are still cows being judged, corn and other edibles are still roasted on spits throughout the grounds and grandstand acts like ZZ Top, Blake Shelton, and the Oak Ridge Boys still play. But nowadays the expo center has been jam-packed with vendors and bingo, the sky-glider floats you over dense crowds, foods like fried butter and beer pretzels dominate, and MC Hammer and Cirque du Soliel are performing.

We can never resist a chance to people watch while sampling various “on-a-stick” foods, so over the course of a few days we sent special ops teams from ThirdCoast Digest onto Grandstand Avenue and beyond. Editors and staffers like Patti Wenzel, Erin Petersen, Jon Anne Willow, Tom Strini, Curt Yorkey, Brian Jacobson and even photo intern Sarah Weiss soaked it all in and came back with the photographic proof.  You can view it through our slideshow below or at our flickr site.  Trust us, it is compreshensive and a beautiful portrait of ourselves at leisure — absorbing rays and watching pigs race.