Semitruck pulls, spectacular animals and more: Here's what to know for the Door County Fair
STURGEON BAY - Semitrucks on dirt, motorcycles on dirt, racing pigs and ducks, leaping dogs.
Yes, there's more to the Door County Fair than the animals, midway rides, carnival games and musical acts that one expects at a county fair.
For sure, the Door County Fair Board has aimed throughout the years to present a traditional-style fair that focuses on the farm animals of the Peninsula and the people of all ages who breed and raise them, as well as the wares of the cooks, bakers, artists and crafters.
Those exhibitors will be celebrated during the 152nd annual fair, of course, but joining them are plenty of other attractions and activities. Here's what you need to know about this year's Door County Fair.
When, where and how to get in
The fair runs from Wednesday through Sunday, Aug. 9 to 13, at John Miles County Park (Door County Fairgrounds), 812 N. 14th Ave., Sturgeon Bay. Rides on the Quantum Technology Midway are open from 4 to 11 p.m. Aug. 9, 3 to 11 p.m. Aug. 10, noon to 11 p.m. Aug. 11 and 12, noon to 6 p.m. Aug. 13, with a break from 5 to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Admission is $10 daily; $12 after 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 11 and 12; $25 for a Booster Button good for the entire fair. All admissions include midway rides, music, grandstand events and fairground shows. Parking is free. Booster Buttons are available at Quantum Technologies, the Destination Door County Welcome Center on State 42/57, Door County Scrap Metal and Bayside Veterinary Clinic, all in Sturgeon Bay; buttons also can be purchased from any Door County 4-H club.
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What's new this year?
Motorsports traditionally has filled the Budweiser Grandstand schedule and will do so again (more below).
But the Friday grandstand show brings something new with the NEW Motorsports Truck and Tractor Pull at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 11.
Six classes of tractors and trucks will attempt to pull great weights along the clay surface of the race track. And they won't be little old garden tractors, either. Along with classes for pickup trucks and tractors specially modified for competitive pulling will be two classes for semitrucks, including the Pro Street Semi class, which includes Door County resident Travis Mueller.
Also new is a program designed to encourage children to become fair exhibitors now and in the future.
It's the Fair Seedlings Program, which allows youths ages 3 to 5 to bring as many as five fair-type projects between noon and 7 p.m. Aug. 9 to be exhibited in the Junior Fair Building. No preregistration is necessary and face-to-face judging won't be held, but each Seedling exhibitor will get a ribbon. The idea is to "plant the seed" for these youths to want to exhibit in future years as they grow older.
Exhibits and judging
Judging takes place throughout the fair of animals, fruits and vegetables, clothing, food, arts and crafts, and other projects from 4-H members, and show judging and exhibits will be in various buildings on the fairgrounds.
One of the annual highlights of this aspect of the fair is the Quality Market Animal Sale, which gives 4-H and Future Farmers of America youths the chance to raise and exhibit farm animals, from rabbits and chickens to cattle and swine, and sell them at a Saturday night auction in the Livestock Facility, learning life and agribusiness skills along the way. For more information, visit dcqmas.org.
Animal attractions
A number of special animal shows return to entertain visitors to the fair.
Back for a third year are the DockDogs, trained dogs competing under the national sanctioning body of the same name. You might have seen them on TV racing off the end of a dock to leap into the air and catch an object thrown their way before dog and object hit the water under them. The Wisconsin DockDogs affiliate of the national organization comes to the midway for five competitive shows during the day Aug. 11 and 12 and four Aug. 13.
Also on the midway is one of the fair's more popular traditional events: pig and duck races. These take place two to four times daily in the afternoons and evenings.
For horse fans, there are two special events. First is the 20th annual S.H.O.W. (Stock Horse of Wisconsin) Drill Team Competition starting at noon Aug. 12 in the horse arena. More than 10 teams from across Wisconsin are expected to compete in displays of precision horsemanship and training.
Also in the horse arena, a gymkhana − barrel racing and other speed events for horses and their riders − will be held at 10 a.m. Aug. 13.
Arts and crafts
Back for a third year is a vendor fair, with more than 50 artists, crafters, woodworkers and other artisans from across Wisconsin showing and selling their wares on the midway the afternoons of Aug. 11 through 13. It's the largest number of vendors the fair has hosted. Also on the midway will be local woodcarver Cody Leist to show how he uses a chainsaw to transform wood into art.
Speeding and smashing
Joining the Aug. 11 truck and tractor pull mentioned above are three of the fair's traditional motorsports events, all in the grandstands at The Hill Raceway, the third-mile clay oval on the fairgrounds.
It starts at 7 p.m. Aug. 10 with races for four classes of The Hill's usual stock cars, including a special shootout race for the SportMod class.
The Aug. 12 show brings American Motorcyclist Association flat-track motorcycle racing, with top regional semi-pro and amateur riders competing on the clay oval in one of the fair's most popular events. Practice starts at 4 p.m. with racing at 6.
Finally, the track sends the fair out with a bang with its traditional demolition derby at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 13, featuring vehicles from across Wisconsin trying to keep moving in a crash-or-get-crashed spectacle.
Midway music and something for the kids
The Main Stage on the midway features popular local and regional acts, opening with longtime party band Boogie and the Yo-Yoz playing at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 9. Cover band Mostly Water, fresh from a couple gigs at the Wisconsin State Fair, plays at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 10.
Taking the stage Aug. 11 is a twin-bill of The Sparks Band, playing 1960s roots-rock and British Invasion rock, at 4:30 p.m. followed by country-rock and classic rock covers by Pink Houses at 7:30.
Aug. 12 brings another twin-bill with the original music of alt-pop duo 7000apart at 4:30 p.m. and the 1980s hair metal covers of The Glam Band at 7:30.
Classic rock closes the musical festivities Aug. 13 with '50s-'70s covers from Quest at noon and longtime popular area rockers Bacchus Lotus at 2:30 and 5 p.m.
Also on the midway, the Children's Festival Stage in the Hatco Building offers events from Aug. 10 through 13, including contests for ages 12 and younger each afternoon, music, juggling, magic shows and hypnosis shows. Trivia, "Name That Tune" and spelling bee contests for all ages also will be held. Also available are temporary tattoos at 1 p.m. Aug. 10 and balloon animals from 2 to 3 p.m. each day. The stage is open from 1 to 6 p.m. each day.
Need to know more?
For more information, including food stands and specific judging and showtimes for exhibitors, visit doorcountyfair.com or facebook.com/doorcountyfair.
Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.
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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Going to the Door County Fair? Here's what you need to know
