It’s Green County Fair week, which marks the mid-point in summer locally. It’s time to kick back and have some food, fun and see some friends at the fairgrounds.

All of the hard work done by 4-H participants will be on display and there will be plenty of adults involved in open categories. What makes virtually all fairs successful is a combination of planning and volunteerism. The weather has not been kind during the past two fairs as an undue amount of rain hurt attendance. Although it’s supposed to be a little warm this week, conditions otherwise, hopefully, will be good for bringing folks to the fairgrounds.

The fair includes the carnival and evening major events including the demolition derby, truck and tractor pull, music, skid steer rodeo, bull-riding and professional wrestling.

Amanda Swedlund, the office manager for the fair, said a promotion at the fair this year is including the admission for grandstand entertainment in the admission price at the gate. So, people attending the fair, for example, will not have to pay more money to attend Saturday night’s grandstand fair concert featuring musician and singer Chris Kroeze.

“We have been receiving quite a few phone calls about that concert and it’s nice to tell people that admission into that concert is covered by the admission they pay at the gate,” Swedlund said.

Fairs provide all sorts of entertainment. Saturday’s edition of the Times included a press release on the wrestling show at the Green County Fair and we left the language pretty much the way it was sent to us from the wrestling promoter — Brew City Wrestling.

When hyping the talent in the ring, the release said about one of its stars, “Beer City ‘Bruiser’ is the Ring of Honor star. He hails from Waukesha and loves to drink beer and punch his opponents in the mouth.”

Hey, that’s pro wrestling!

In addition to the wrestling, the fair will host the USA Tug of War Nationals.

I have a pretty good frame of reference when it comes to what our local and area fairs have to offer. Over the years I’ve been to fairs in Green, Rock, Grant, Lafayette, Crawford and Vernon counties. My experience with the Vernon County Fair is deep because I was a participant in the fair. As a Boy Scout leader our troop had a three-day camp at the fair each year. We had a flag retirement ceremony, helped clean the grandstands after major events and presented the flag before major events at each evening’s competition. My children grew up attending the Vernon County Fair and it was a special event.

Each fair has its unique niceties and Green County’s fair is no different. What our local fair really needs is some good weather. I don’t want to jinx things, but fair attendance is reliant on good weather. The last couple years have not been favorable for our fair.

Having attended so many fairs, I’m an aficionado of fair food. I try to spend my money at the 4-H food stand. I can be sent astray by tasty treats such as funnel cakes, mini donuts, fresh pizza, gyros, blooming onions and fried cheese curds. Fair week is not a time to start a diet.

Green County’s Fair has a history dating back almost as far as Wisconsin has been a state. The first fair was in 1853. The Green County Fair is organized on a stockholder basis with 366 shares of stock in the community and shareholders able to vote in the Board of Directors, which then operate the fair. The fair’s bylaws are listed on its website and they are regularly updated.

Planning for a fair is a year-round venture. As communities have changed and our rural agricultural lifestyle has changed, the fair has changed. 

Not all communities have been fortunate to keep their county fairs operational. Part of the problem is the same one faced by other community social institutions; people are becoming more introverted due to social media. This hurts attendance at community events.

As the state of Illinois reduced the money it gave to counties to help subsidize county fairs, several fairs in that state struggled to continue. In fact, finding financial backing for county fairs is an issue that’s being seen across the nation. There are a number of fairs that are successful each year, yet just like everything else, event organizers need to evolve in order to keep their events thriving and successful.

Here in the cradle of all things agricultural, having a healthy and entertaining county fair is important. Not just because it’s part of our heritage, but it traditionally has been highly-anticipated entertainment and a place to see our neighbors and friends.

Let’s all hope for mild weather for this year’s Green County Fair in addition to wonderful attendance.

— Matt Johnson is publisher of the Monroe Times. His column is published Wednesdays.