MONROE — On a hot July day at the fair, Milo Dickson of Browntown, was pleased with the results, which were the culmination of months’ worth of work getting his animals ready for the annual event.
The 12-year-old had just auctioned off a pig and his chickens at fair on Saturday. And in a sweaty barn he eagerly copied down the results of his auctions.
“I think I did really well, I’m OK with it,” said a smiling Dickson, the son of Katie and Mark Dickson.
Saying the heat wasn’t so bad “once you get used to it,” he joined numerous other kids showing animals in the 4H portion of the fair over its 4-day run last weekend. The theme of this year’s event was “Barn Yard Beach Party.”
Fair organizers said that overall, the event was a big success, news that was especially welcome after the 2020 fair had been cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.
“Overall, our attendance this year was much improved I think over last year,” said Sharlene Swedlund, the 2022 Fairest of the Fair.
Swedlund, however, said it will take some time to compile exact numbers reflecting attendance and participation for 2022 but “overall it was a great success and turnout.”
Rain Saturday night forced the country music concert inside to the show barn, but for the most part the weather cooperated by being dry and very warm throughout the event, she said.
“The crowd was happy with the concert the (show barn) was just big enough to handle it,” she said.
This year’s annual fair cheese contest was won by Richard Buss Jr. of Chalet Cheese Co-op, with his baby Swiss cheese entry. Additional results from the cheese auctions and fair results will appear in a future edition.
In addition to the many types of cold beverages for sale, a local church passed out free water, and fair officials worked to keep the animals hydrated with plenty of giant fans whirring away from afternoon into the early evening hours.
On Day 4, Swedlund posted about her activities thus far at the fair, saying she started the long day with a Pedal Pull and several of the meet auctions.
“As the day went on, I stayed busy between visiting with fair goers, doing announcements throughout the fairgrounds, and attending the Master Showman Competition,” Swedlund wrote on a special social media page documenting each day of the event. “Later that night we had the Ashley Barron and Dylan Gerrard Concert.”
The date for next year’s fair is tentatively set for July 19 through July 23 but Swedlund said there’s still plenty for her to do this year with the state fair entrants from Green County and pre-planning for the future.
“My absolute favorite part of the fair is just visiting with the fairgoers,” she said. ‘The people who come out to the fair are very special and I enjoy meeting with them.”
