Pig races. Cream puffs. And a giant slide. People from across the state flocked to the Wisconsin State Fair last week to enjoy these time-honored traditions.
Lake Effect’s Xcaret Nuñez met some of those fairgoers and produced this audio postcard.
“Biggest crowd we’ve ever had at the pig races!”
James Crook is from Missouri and says he’s been running pig races for 31 years. But what gets a pig running?
“Cookies! They love cookies,” says Crook. “I’d say number three is the fastest pig… You want to look for ones that have their ears straight up. If their ears are flopped over, they don't want to learn real good.”
“My second time having a cream puff!”
Tiffany, a 10-year-old from Mequon, says she’s been looking forward to eating a traditional cream puff.
“They're really good,” Tiffany says. “When I eat a cream puff, I take the top [bun] off and then dip it into the cream. But some people eat it like a sandwich, and I kind of think that's funny because their face gets full of, like, cream and stuff.”
“Just forget about it! Go with the flow. Life is to be enjoyed.”
Ellie, from Shorewood, Wisconsin, says she’s been attending the fair for years. But at 76, she rode down the giant slide with her 5-year-old and 3-year-old grandsons after they dared her.
“I'm here [at the state fair] to have a lot of fun with my grandsons,” Ellie says. “It was a little scary — I had to hold on to my hat and him [3-year-old grandson]. I screamed all the way down … but life is to be enjoyed!”
