The Wisconsin State Fair may be canceled this year, but digging into deep-fried treats and classic fair foods is right on schedule thanks to the new State Fair Necessities initiative and its fair food drive-thru, celebrating its final weekend of feasting on Thursday, Aug. 13.
Starting at 4 p.m. on Thursday and running through Sunday, Aug. 16, the drive-thru will open up the fairgrounds for cars to drive through and pick up flavorful favorites from the route's rotating batch of State Fair vendors – this week including items like the, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, cheese curds, Saz's sampler platter, even more hot melty cheese and, of course, those classic State Fair cream puffs.
Here are the thirteen vendors cooking at Wisconsin State Fair Park this last week along with what classic treats and delectable eats they'll be serving:
Charlie's Great Food
- Philly cheese steak – $9
- Polish sausage – $8.50
- 1/4 lb. hamburger – $5.50
- 1/4 lb. cheeseburger – $6
- Hot dog – $3.50
- Kids meal – $7.50 (hot dog, fries or applesauce, juice box or small soda and frisbee)
- Corn dog – $5 for regular, $8 for jumbo
- Chicken strip basket with fries – $11
- Smoked jumbo turkey leg – $12
- Smoke pork loin on a stick – $8.50
- Fresh cut fries – $5
- Ribbon fries – $8
- Fries toppings – .50 cents each (cheese, chili, bacon, chives, ranch, sour cream and jalapeños)
- Coca-Cola fountain products – $5 for 32 oz.
- Dasani bottled water – $3
Hot Wisconsin Cheese (cash only)
- Cheddar nuggets – $9
- Mozzarella fingers – $9
- Jalapeño white cheddar – $9
- Wisconsin three way (cheddar nuggets, mozzarella fingers and jalapeño white cheddar) – $12
- Swiss and rye on a stick – $5
- Bacon and cream cheese on a stick – $5
- Plain cream cheese on a stick – $5
- Cream cheese and chocolate on a stick – $5
- Coca-Cola bottled products – $3.50
- Dasani bottled water – $3
Wisconsin Potatoes
- Baked potato – $6 for one, $15 for three (toppings include cheese sauce, bacon, salsa, sour cream and chives)
Badger Corn
- Roasted corn on the cob – $4 for one ear, $20 for six ears
- Buttered roasted corn in a cup – $7
- Mexican-style street corn in a cup (roasted corn, mayo, lime, cotija cheese and chili arbol) – $7
- Wisconsin-style corn in a cup (roasted corn, bratwurst slices and sauerkraut) – $7
Rick's Pizza
- Pickle pizza slice – $7
- Cheese pizza slice – $6
- Pepperoni pizza slice – $6
- Coca-Cola bottled products – $3 for 16 oz., $4.50 for 32 oz.
- Dasani bottled water – $3
Rick's Elephant Ears
- Elephant ear – $7
- Funnel cake – $7
- Fruit toppings – $2
- Deep-fried Oreos – $7
- Coca-Cola fountain products – $3 for 16 oz., $4.50 for 32 oz.
- Dasani bottled water – $3
Catalano's Old Fashioned Lemonade
- Fresh-squeezed lemonade – $4 for 16 oz., $7 for 32 oz.
Dr. Vegetable
- Deep-fried veggie bucket (broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, onion rings, zucchini and fried pickle spears) – $15
- Bucket refill (show souvenir bucket and get refill in disposable tray) – $7
- Deep-fried veggie combo (broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, onion rings and zucchini) – $9
- Deep-fried pickle spears – $8
Saz's and Milwaukee Pretzel Co.
- BBQ pulled pork sandwich (served with sour cream and chive fries) – $9
- Baby back rib dinner (includes ribs, cole slaw and smoked baked beans) – $12 for a half-rack, $17 for a full rack
- Sampler combo platter (cheese curds, mozzarella sticks and sour cream and chive fries) – $9
- Sour cream and chive fries – $3.50
- Leinie's-battered white cheddar cheese curds – $7
- Mozzarella marinara sticks – $4.50 for two sticks, $8.50 for four sticks
- Original Bavarian pretzel – $4
- Cinnamon sugar pretzel – $5
- Jumbo Bavarian pretzel – $11
- Wisconsin beer cheese dip – $1
- Door County cherry cream cheese dip – $1
Mille's Italian Sausage
- Italian sausage sandwich – $6.25
Mexican Grill
- Giant taco – $8
- Burrito – $9
- Fajita – $9
- Quesadilla – $9
- Taco salad – $9
- Walking taco – $9
- Nachos – $5 for small, $9 for large
- Lemon shake-up – $4 for 16 oz., $6 for 32 oz.
- Coca-Cola fountain products – $2.50 for 16 oz., $3.50 for 24 oz. and $4.50 for 32 oz.
Lori's Sugar Shack
- Cotton candy – $6
- Caramel apple – $5
- Candy apple – $5
- Sno cone (flavors include cherry and blue raspberry) – $4
- Homemade caramel corn – $5
- Buttered popcorn – $6
- Dasani bottled water – $3
Curbside Cream Puffs
- Three-pack cream puffs – $12
- Six-pack cream puffs – $22
- Three-pack blue ribbon brownies – $12
- Six-pack blue ribbon brownies – $22
- Three-pack chocolate chip cookies – $9
- Six-pack chocolate chip cookies – $18
- Insulated tote – $10
The curbside cream puffs will be available at State Fair Park Thursday through Saturday from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. as well as Sunday from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. To make sure you snag yourself some cream puffs, be sure to pre-order your pack from their website (yes, the cream puffs have their own website) or by calling 414-266-7111, as there will be a limited supply available to those without a preorder.
As for the rest of the drive-thru, the State Fair foodie freeway will be open on Thursday, Aug. 13 from 4-8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, Aug. 14-15 from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 16 from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Gates at the drive-thru will open an hour in advance of the event, and cars should enter at Gate 9, found at S. 76th St. and W. Pierce St. For more information and instructions on the State Fair drive-thru, click here.
For a spin through the drive-thru itself, click here to wheel through with us – but make sure to make a trip for yourself this weekend. And we'll see you at the Fair next year!
As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.
When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.