(Wisconsin State) Fair? or Partly Cloudy?

Kevin acts like the journalist he really is.

The local MSM? Still testing creampuffs, I guess.

I have to wonder if the Wisconsin State Fair is having disappointing attendance figures this year.

Through the years, the Fair has always announced its daily attendance numbers to the media, and to workers and vendors in a daily newsletter. This year, I am told, no such daily figures are being announced.

Could it be Fair officials are embarrassed and are trying to hide the dismal news?

Veteran Fair observers have seen some strange and rare goings-on.

For example, unusually small crowds at night this past weekend. How about the Budweiser stage and concession area closing at 9:30 one night. I’m told that simply never happens.

Other vendors have also been shutting down earlier than the 11:00 closing time on non-weekend nights.

The bonehead move of the Fair thus far was the booking of Lupillo Rivera and Ana Barbara on the Miller Lite Main Stage this past Saturday, neither one of whom sang a word in English.

Thursday night, attendance at the Main Stage was 7,000; Friday night, 4900.Saturday night’s concert, the attempt to bring diversity to the fair, brought in a whopping 840 fans. The concert ended around midnight, right about the time the Fair was closing. That, too, shouldn’t make Fair management very happy. The idea on the weekends is to bring in big names on the Main Stage who will draw big crowds. You then get those concert fans back into the park after the show to eat, drink, and spend more money. That didn’t come close to happening Saturday.

Perhaps it's just co-incidence that the Fair management issued a press release to the effect that 'this is one of the top State Fairs in the USA,' and was dutifully read by one of the local TV stations last night.

Don't recall hearing any data to support that contention.