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Masks indoors at Wisconsin State Fair per CDC recommendations

From Fox6Now:

WEST ALLIS, Wis. - The Wisconsin State Fair opens Aug. 5, and organizers of the massive operation are working to keep up with the changing CDC guidelines. If you are heading out to the fair, bring a mask if you want to go into any of the buildings. 

Fair representatives said they will continue to change policies to match CDC recommendations. 

One week out from the start of the 2021 Wisconsin State Fair, John Derynda was busy preparing for his favorite time of the year.

"It is Christmas. We love it," he said.

This will mark the Derynda family's 67th year working State Fair Park. It was John's first job and that of many others.

"It’s just working with people, most people, for their first job ever," said Derynda. "It is just a delight to see those people with their first job and just everything magic about State Fair. It’s magic." 

There will be many other firsts this year at the fair.  Canceled in 2020 due to COVID, there will be changes in 2021.

"We are constantly adapting, and this is a rapidly evolving situation and it has been for several months for us, coming up on 16 months for us,I believe," said Tess Kerksen, State Fair Park PR manager.

The park's mask policy is being updated to fit the new CDC guidelines.

"We are following the recommendations of the CDC to wear masks indoors," said Kerksen. "We actually will provide people with masks if they forget them in our indoor buildings, but you have to remember, most of our buildings are outdoors or open-air."

At Adeline's, they will have an employee dedicated to cleaning and sanitizing high-traffic areas; attention to detail Derynda is used to.

"My mother just grounded it into us," said Derynda. "She always said, ‘If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.’"

The fair is also planning to have hundreds of hand sanitizing stations set up. Also, bring your credit card, as parking and admissions is now cashless to limit contact. 

From: https://www.fox6now.com/news/masks-indoors-at-wisconsin-state-fair-per-cdc-recommendations

Wisconsin venues go cashless, offer options to visitors without plastic

From TMJ4:

Cash is not the king it used to be as more Wisconsin venues and events opt for cashless transactions.

From Fiserv Forum to Summerfest and Lambeau Field, popular destinations are turning to contactless purchases.

All three of the previous sites offer cash-to-card kiosks free of charge for people who do not have the plastic to pay.

"It’s a different way of doing business," said Lora Reinholz, an instructor of practice and finance at Marquette University.

TMJ4

Reinholz said transactions happen more quickly when people use plastic over paper, and in a pandemic, this approach offers another sense of cleanliness and security.

However, there are potential downsides if people do not have access to a card or are uncomfortable with the process.

"It does require I think a little bit more education from the different venues, such as Fiserv Forum, to let people know actually how to go about doing this, let them know that there are no costs, and also to let them know what they can do if they do have any balances remaining on the cards," Reinholz said.

Bucks officials said cards from their kiosks can also be used anywhere Mastercard is accepted, as well as online purchases.

The Wisconsin State Fair is going cashless in some ways.

TMJ4

"For the 2021 Wisconsin State Fair, we will be going cashless for our admission entrances and parking entrances only," the fair's chief marketing officer, Jen Puente, stressed.

Tickets can be purchased with cash in advance at the ticket office or fair partners, including Bank Five Nine and Sentry Foods.

Puente said the choice to go cashless is in response to the pandemic and a way to help operations with less staff. More than 500 vendors at the state fair still have the option of accepting cash.

"Our vendors still have the option to take cash, because they are their own individual businesses," Puente said. "From some of our local mom-and-pop vendors to some of our bigger vendors that are here locally, or traveling exhibits, it would be really challenging for us to put those limitations on them for this year‘s fair."

No matter which destination you visit, it is best to check how they are handling transactions ahead of time.

From: https://www.tmj4.com/news/coronavirus/wisconsin-venues-go-cashless-offer-options-to-visitors-without-plastic

'It's a big blow to us': Wisconsin State Fair's small vendors crushed emotionally -- and possibly financially -- by 2020 cancellation

From JSOnline:

Joe Taschler, Jordyn Noennig and Curt Hogg, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

After The Wisconsin State Fair was canceled Thursday, Wendy Matel, owner of Freese's Candy Shoppe & Heavenly Roasted Nuts, 7312 W. Greenfield Ave. in West Allis, arranges bags of the popular nuts sold at Miller Park and State Fair. She and other vendors at the State Fair are trying to find ways to keep their business open during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo: Rick Wood / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Scott and Melissa Dooley and their team at Knucklehead Pub & Grub had already begun preparing their signature "lug nuts" — a tater tot and jalapeno pepper on a stick, wrapped in bacon and deep fried — which they sell by the thousands each year at the Wisconsin State Fair.

This year, though, the "lug nuts," along with the live music and the tens of thousands of beers they typically serve during the fair's 11-day run won't happen.

The Wisconsin State Fair was canceled Thursday, the latest cruel blow dealt by COVID-19 to hospitality businesses in the state.

"It’s a huge financial loss," said Scott Dooley."It’s a big blow to us."

The Knucklehead at the Wisconsin State Fair. (Photo: Scott Stokhaug)

The "lug nuts" have to be made in advance because the rate at which they sell during the fair "is just ridiculous," Scott Dooley said.

So are the beer sales.

"If I remember correctly, we sold 15,000 cans of beer" last year at the fair. That doesn't include the beer that is sold on tap.

He and his wife, Melissa, (whom he refers to as "the brains of the operation") bought the building at Central Avenue and Center Street on the fairgrounds several years ago and this would have been the bar's fifth year at the fair.

He described the relationship with the fair as "kind of like a trailer park. We own the bricks and mortar but we don’t own the land. It’s a partnership with the state," Scott Dooley said.

"They take care of all the marketing and advertising and we run a fun, clean place. It’s a good partnership," he said.

"We have two payments left on the building," he added.

But COVID-19 has proven to be wildly contagious among folks who come in close contact with each other. On a warm weekend day and/or evening, crowds at the fair can sometimes be shoulder to shoulder.

The fair routinely draws 1 million visitors. 

"You don't want people to get sick," Scott Dooley said. "I trust their decision" to cancel the fair.

Read more: https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/2020/05/28/wisconsin-state-fair-canceled-2020-sazs-small-vendors-crushed/5275229002/

Wisconsin State Fair canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic

From The Journal Times.com:

• RILEY VETTERKIND

The Wisconsin State Fair is the state's largest event.

STATE JOURNAL ARCHIVES

Wisconsin's state fair, the largest single event in the state, has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

State Fair Park Board chairman John Yingling decided to cancel the summer event that typically attracts more than 1 million people over 11 days. 

The State Fair Park Board of directors voted earlier this week to give Yingling the authority to make the determination on his own of whether to cancel the fair. 

After consultation with other authorities, Yingling opted for cancellation to preserve the safety of attendees and vendors. 

"On behalf of the entire State Fair Park Board of Directors, please know that the decision to cancel the 2020 Wisconsin State Fair was not taken lightly," Yingling said. "Months of deliberation took place, considering all options to host a Fair that adheres to the highest standard of safety without compromising the experience. We explored countless models, but ultimately safety cannot be compromised. The risks associated with hosting an event of this size and scope right now are just too great."

Refunds are available for those who already purchased State Fair tickets, or those tickets can be used for the 2021 Wisconsin State Fair. Main stage concert tickets are also eligible for a refund, and will be automatically refunded for credit card purchases. 

This year's state fair was scheduled to take place from Aug. 6-16.

The event comes just before the rescheduled Milwaukee Democratic National Convention, which is to take place from Aug. 17-20. The DNC has not yet said what it's plans are for the event. 

Peggy Williams-Smith, president and CEO of VISIT Milwaukee, said she appreciates the thoughtfulness of the difficult decision to close the fair, whose economic impact is more than $200 million. 

"Public safety must continue to be our top priority as a community, and I support the decision to cancel this year’s event in light of our current situation," Williams-Smith said. "I will miss the Fair, but I look forward to next year’s event, which will no doubt be a fun and lively experience with delicious food, local vendors, great music, and of course, exciting family activities."

From: https://journaltimes.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/wisconsin-state-fair-canceled-due-to-covid-19-pandemic/article_f5b8073e-e472-5704-b83c-a944fad4607b.html#tracking-source=home-the-latest