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Looking to make the most of this year's Wisconsin State Fair? Look no further, because the folks here at OnMilwaukee have 100 things you just have to do while on the fairgrounds this year. From pig races to Sno-Cones to fire jugglers and cream puffs, there's something for everyone, so take a look!
- Have a cream puff and a Miller Lite before noon. Repeat the combination after 10 p.m.
- Host your own cream puff eating contest. No matter if you finish first or last, everybody wins!
- Save money by biking to the fair
- Try a gummy bear brat from Leadfoots Race Bar & Grill
- Watch for the strolling street entertainers throughout the Fair
- See if you can stomach eating a gator claw from All Things Jerky
- Listen to Bon Jovi, REO Speedwagon and Tom Petty – all covered by your favorite local bar bands
- Take a tractor for a spin
- Close out the State Fair with country and gospel favorites The Oak Ridge Boys, hitting the main stage on Aug. 14
- Visit the Swine Barn – because where else can you see pigs that big
- Check out a dazzling display of dog agility at the K-9 Sports Arena
- Get your handwriting analyzed
- Have an artist draw a caricature of your kids
- Ride the Giant Slide – an icon of the Fair
- Two words: pig races
- Learn how to make your garden great with We Energies Energy Park demos from horticulture expert Melinda Myers
- Cheer on the Kids from Wisconsin. They are our future!
- Run away with a carnie
- Watch infomercials come to life inside the Expo
- Point out to a stranger that "It's not the heat, it's the humidity"
- Skip the gym and walk the 200-acre fairgrounds instead
- Check out men in skirts, AKA the bagpipers
- Veterans, military members and their families can get in free until 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 14
- Keep track of Zubaz pants
- Buy some salt water taffy
- Look for another Giannis appearance at Wisconsin State Fair
- Rock out with Sconnie music icon Pat McCurdy at the Bank Five Nine Amphitheater on Friday, Aug. 12
- Munch some roasted nuts
- Shop for Egyptian jewelry
- Buy cotton candy for a child under the age of 7
- Cool off with a Sno-Cone
- Learn about State Fair's past at the history display in the Expo Center
- Stick your finger in an award-winning pie
- Cheer the daily parade
- Look for local legends like "Freeway"
- Heckle the on-air staff at the WTMJ radio booth
- Check out local music favorite Bobby Friss throughout the State Fair at Saz's Miller High Life Pavilion
- Have a Miller High Life – and probably sweat it out in 10 minutes thanks to the summer heat
- Combine two great snacks in one with chocolate-covered potato chips
- Go on a 10-mile hike to work off the Chilled Cookie Dough, deep-fried Snickers, etc.
- Make out on the Ferris wheel
- Cool off with a tasty craft brew at The Micro – and maybe score a free shirt if you kill a keg
- Ride the Zero Gravity ride – just make sure you eat after, not before
- Watch the fish at the DNR’s Exploratory Park
- Grab a satisfying grilled cheese (and a shake to wash it down) from the Wisconsin Products Pavilion
- Shop for a deal on a hot tub
- Check out the Flex at the Fair bodybuilding competition and promise you'll work off all that Fair food the next day (maybe)
- Snag a cheese curd taco, which somehow is even tastier than it sounds
- Borrow the neighbor's kid and take another ride down the Giant Slide
- Veggie races ... cucumbers on wheels, baby!
- Head to Saz's and raise a glass
- Make a visit to the new Camp Bar at State Fair
- Scarf down some of the State Fair's new foods
- Air-brush your sweetie's name on a T-shirt
- People watch – you won't be disappointed
- Watch the fire jugglers. Tip liberally, because they juggle fire
- Try the famous Wisconsin cheese curds – as big as potato pancakes
- Have a few beers and go record your own music single
- Try the goat cheese curds at the Wisconsin Dairy Goats Products
- Win your sweetie a stuffed unicorn at Spin City
- Check out the milking demonstrations at the Milking Parlor, both cows and goats
- Enjoy the beauty of the Clydesdales
- Have a laugh at the Main Stage with Sconnie comedian Charlie Berens on Wednesday, Aug. 10
- See how many people you can spot eating a cream puff. How many do it correctly – aka by unscrewing the top?
- Take a requisite photo with messy cream puff on your face
- Snag some great recipes in the Wisconsin Products Pavilion
- Admire all the cute animal butts
- Look at sculptured bonsai, orchids, dinner plate sized dahlias and more
- Sample all the Sporkies nominees and vote for your favorite
- Snack on some deep-fried olives on a stick and pretend it's healthy (What, olives are a vegetable!)
- Take a break from beer and grab a fresh squeezed lemonade
- Count plaid shirts in and outside of the barns
- See if the kids working in the barns are listening to country music or hip-hop
- Check out the agricultural judging events
- Challenge the psychics to guess your correct age, weight or birthday
- Splurge for an imported beer
- Try pickle cotton candy – which is exactly what it sounds like
- Check out free polka music at Cracovia
- Cheer on your first place Brewers at The Micro as they make a final charge for the playoffs
- Stop by for a late breakfast at the Fair, which opens at 10 a.m. each day this year
- The Wisconsin Wine Garden has a wide selection of Sconnie wines – try them all!
- Check out all the adorable animals: dogs, bunnies, chicks, piglets, horses and more
- Ante up at the Governor's Blue Ribbon Livestock Auction. Invite friends over for a giant BBQ
- Two words: Mobile Tours
- Hop on the Skyglider as a way to avoid the crowds. Laugh at all the flip-flops, sunglasses and cell phones that have been dropped on building roofs
- Buy a cowboy/cowgirl hat
- High five a State Fair grounds worker and say "thank you!"
- Eat this year's Sporkie first-place winner: the Peño Pretzel Popper Brat, a brat wrapped in pretzel and covered in jalapenos.
- Soak in the sounds of music icon Peter Noone with Herman's Hermits on Monday and Tuesday at the Bank Five Nine Amphitheater
- Take a stroll through Dairy Lane
- Hide out at one of our favorite low-key relaxing spots
- Count the mullets
- Watch a parade of puppers take spectacular dives into a pool at the K-9 Sports Arena
- Talk to people partying outside their RV
- Bust out your trucker hat
- Jam out with Nelly and Ginuwine at the Main Stage on Friday, Aug. 12
- Look for West Allis Mayor Dan Devine and say "hi" when you see him
- Buy a State Fair bargain book and save big all fair long
- Post your favorite fair photos on Facebook and Instagram
- Pay to park in someone's front yard