Business News

The Fair Doesn’t Just Happen

Minding our own business

Twelve years ago, I stepped onto the U.P. State Fairgrounds as a 17-year-old kid preparing to take on his senior year of high school. Growing up in Escanaba, it's hard to imagine not being overwhelmingly excited about attending the Fair every August. Going on all the rides, eating a ridiculous amount of elephant ears, and donating way too much of my parents' money to the infamous "Quarter Game" to try and win a few stuffed animals were staples I looked forward to every summer. The Fair was also the time when I saw the vast majority of my classmates for the first time since school got out--some I wished to see and others I probably didn't--and a stark reminder that school was starting much sooner than I had anticipated.

As a kid, it was hard to even imagine how an event as big as this came together every year. My younger self expected the rides, food trucks, and entertainment to just show up and provide me with a week's worth of entertainment every August. I didn't think twice about what it took for food vendors to prepare for and even attend the Fair. I didn't think about how far in advance entertainment had to be booked or the amount of work and resources required to pull off a sold-out Grandstand performance. As someone who does not have an agricultural background, I certainly had no idea what it took to fill every barn with animals of all shapes and sizes and then have every one of them gone again a little more than a week later. If you had asked my 17-year-old self how all of this was pulled off every year, I probably would have guessed there were at least 100 people working behind the scenes. During Fair week, that isn't far from the truth. But what I learned during my first year on staff is that, for most of the year, the number of people responsible for bringing the U.P. State Fair to life can be counted on two hands.

Fast forward 12 years, and for the first time since I was in high school, I stepped onto the U.P. State Fairgrounds--this time as a 29-year-old husband, father, and member of the small but mighty Fair staff. Instead of just showing up on Monday of Fair week, I had the pleasure of spending most of the summer helping make sure things I always took for granted were coordinated and ready to go come Fair week. Instead of spending most of the week on the "Zipper," I spent it helping our vendors solve problems, get the information they needed, and make it through an incredibly busy week. Instead of simply walking into the Grandstand at 8 p.m. ready for an awesome concert, I was able to play a small part in ensuring our acts and fairgoers had a safe and memorable experience before the doors even opened.

What became clear to me after this year's Fair is that in no way, shape, or form does the U.P. State Fair just happen. Over 100,000 people are able to enjoy the Fair every year because of the strong and resilient people behind the scenes, all of whom are willing to go above and beyond to put on a spectacular and memorable event. I witnessed people balance their full-time jobs with their annual Fair responsibilities, some even taking vacation time to work over 70 hours during

Fair week. I witnessed staff patch an issue with loose concrete, pivot to building a privacy fence for a sold-out act on short notice, and then turn around and help a fairgoer find a particular food truck, all within the span of an hour. If something needed to be done, regardless of role, somebody stepped up and made it happen. I have learned that what this team may lack in size, it more than makes up for in its commitment to making the U.P. State Fair something our community can be proud of.

Seventeen-year-old me walked through the Fairgrounds thinking all the rides, food, entertainment, and animals simply showed up every August. Twenty-nine-year-old me quickly found out that this event is only possible because of the incredible people who work tirelessly year-round to make it successful. Even though I still have a few years before my daughter takes my money to spend on the 'Quarter Game,' I have to imagine she'll grow up thinking that this event just magically happens each year. If that is the case, then I know this small team has once again done its job.