Cream City CatholicChild friendly by day, rambunctious by night, the Milwaukee State Fair has something for everyone. When I was a child, my parents helped me learn to save money by letting me and my siblings play and ride anything we wanted at the Fair provided we had the cash to do it – and they chipped in a little; who could resist an 8 yr old me? Well, the time has come for me to take my family to the State Fair to enjoy all it has to offer.
The times have changed a bit since I was a kid. It was only three years ago that a mob of racially motivated youths attacked mostly white patrons leaving the fair.
You could just tell they were after white people. That was the main thing. If you were white, they were coming after you.
– Jon Stikl of Oak Creek. (http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/126828998.html)
And only two years before that our Mayor, Tom Barrett, was attacked with a tire iron attempting to defend another victim.
I’m happy to say that this year my family felt quite safe at the State Fair. There was a notable increase in police presence and, given it was fairly early in the morning, the crowd was tame and consisted mostly of families.
We started with some rides – the Ferris Wheel, a kids’ roller coaster, the merry-go-round, and a few others. Side note: I used to be a thrill-seeker, entirely unafraid of danger, but after having my first child, I find myself terrified of the Ferris Wheel, praying for safety the entire time. Oh, how kids change things!
The best part of the Fair is by far the animals, many of which are pictured below. Wisconsin is an agriculture state after all, so no experience is complete without pigs, cows, horses, chickens and rabbits.
Would I recommend going to the Fair this year? Absolutely! Just make sure you get there before the sun sets 🙂
