U.P. State Fair

This past weekend, the annual Upper Peninsula State Fair wrapped up another successful event. This was a very monumental year for the fair as it went on without aid from the state of Michigan. The state government of Michigan made some very painful cuts last year that resulted in the loss of funding to both state fairs in Michigan, the one in Escanaba and the one in Detroit. But, with a committed and unified group, the U.P. State Fair lived on to see another year. And by all accounts, the revenue generated from this year's event exceeded what the fair organizers were expecting. It appears that the future of the state fair in Escanaba will be very bright for many years to come.

The U.P. State Fair here in Upper Michigan is a pretty big deal. People from all across the Upper Peninsula attend the event, many bringing exhibits to put on display while others enjoy the rides and games of the midway. It sounds like this year, many people from all across the country attended the event, even some from as far away as Saskatchewan, Canada. A few vendors who typically set up at the fair in Detroit made the trek up north to be apart of the U.P. State Fair. The State Fair in Detroit will not go on this year, unlike the fair in Escanaba. And the sad part is, the Detroit Fair had been around a lot longer and had developed such a rich history. Now, the Upper Peninsula State Fair is the only state fair in Michigan.

When I was a kid, it seemed like we always attended the fair each summer. I always enjoyed strolling through the Ruth Butler Building, checking out the free handouts the area businesses were handing out to kids and adults alike. Then we'd lug our bags of free stuff to the midway to check out some of the rides and play a few games. I was never all that successful at winning any of the games, but usually my one sister would win something. As for the rides, they certainly had a wide variety of them. From a Ferris Wheel, to the Zipper, to rides that take you up and down, round and around, and side to side. I am not a big fan of heights so the rides that went up high were never a huge favorite of mine. However, I often enjoyed the ones that would make it feel like your belly was about to flip around. And even if I did have some trepidation about a certain ride, eventually it would subside as I rode along.

Its been several years since I made the trek to the U.P. State Fair, but one of the years I'll definitely need to go and check it out again. I am sure there are plenty of different things to see at a present-day U.P. State Fair. However, I'll be certainly looking forward to a few traditions I once enjoyed before, such as eating elephant ears, snow cones, cotton candy, Norms Fries, and a plethora of other great fair foods. As you can see, it's probably a good idea to attend a fair on an empty stomach! Like I said before, it'll be neat to walk through the Ruth Butler Building and see what businesses are on hand and what they're giving out. And hopefully I'll go on a night when there's an interesting group performing in the grandstand. This year, bands such as Everclear and Orianthi performed. Sure beats the country acts that often appeared year after year in the past. So, despite the fact that the fair in Escanaba is over for this year, at least here in the U.P., we can look forward to it coming back again next year.