Jordan Beck | Daily Press From left, Lyndell Farley, Lana Clement (partially obscured), Lynn Ranguette, Alex Ranguette, Tom Ranguette, David Farley and Colton Ranguette serve up deep-fried whitefish at the Fish House during the U.P. State Fair.

ESCANABA — At this year’s U.P. State Fair, fairgoers have been able to enjoy a wide variety of food items from both well-established vendors and newcomers to the event.

The Fish House, which sells deep-fried whitefish and straight and ribbon fries, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

“My oldest boy graduated around 2008, and we had as parents to do the all-night graduation party,” co-owner Tom Ranguette said.

To raise funds for the party, Ranguette went to Nahma’s Labor Day celebration and sold fish. The fundraiser went so well that he began looking into the possibility of expanding his fish sales.

“My wife said I couldn’t buy a trailer till I paid off my boat and permit in Alaska,” Ranguette said.

Ranguette said he also works as a commercial fisherman in Alaska. He paid the boat and permit off in 2010.

Over the years, the Fish House has become a popular destination for attendees of the fair. In 2018, Ranguette said it used 1,720 pounds of fish and 3,000 pounds of potatoes at the event.

An even longer-lasting U.P. State Fair tradition is Charlie’s Foods, which is marking its 50th anniversary in 2019. Owner and founder Charlie Miller said his father and grandfather also sold carnival foods.

“I’m third-generation in the business,” he said.

Charlie’s actually has four different booths at the U.P. State Fair — one selling sausages and fast-food staples; one selling snacks like popcorn, cotton candy and caramel apples; one selling lemonade and one selling pizza and other items such as pretzels.

Miller said business at the 2019 U.P. State Fair has been good, noting Opening Night in particular had the best attendance he had ever seen for that night.

He also said he is glad to continue having a presence at the U.P. State Fair, which was one of the first events where Charlie’s sold food.

“It’s been as nice a … fair as I know of in the whole United States,” he said.

In the Antique Village, fairgoers have been able to visit the Cook Shack for decades. Julie Hoffmeyer said she and Matt Hoffmeyer have been operating the shack for the past three years.

According to Julie, she was “volunteered” for this role.

“A friend of mine over at the rock shop decided I needed to run the Cook Shack,” she said.

Prior to the Hoffmeyers’ involvement, the Cook Shack had been in operation for almost 50 years.

When they took over, the Hoffmeyers expanded the Cook Shack’s menu. Today, the shack has a full breakfast menu — including eggs, sausage, fry bread, pancakes, French toast and more — as well as a lunch menu featuring chili and soups, among many other items.

Julie also noted her relatives are involved with the Cook Shack.

“It’s a family-run operation loaded with sarcasm and lots of laughs,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Blue Barn Farm is making its first appearance at the fair in 2019. Owner Melissa Tuljus said her business will have been operating for a year at the end of September.

The Blue Barn Farm focuses on selling cider and doughnuts.

“I worked at a cider mill downstate for eight seasons,” Tuljus said.

Later, she moved to the U.P. Disappointed at the lack of businesses offering cider and doughnuts in the area, she decided to fill the niche herself.

Cider varieties available at the Blue Barn Farm include hot mulled cider, cold cider and cider slushes. The business offers cinnamon sugar and salted caramel glazed doughnuts.

Tuljus said reactions to the Blue Barn Farm among people visiting the U.P. State Fair have been positive.

“They’ve been really happy with it,” she said.

Another relatively new addition to the fair’s lineup of food vendors is the Steak Tip Dinners tent. Owner Robert Greene said his goal for the business — now in its fourth year at the U.P. State Fair — was to offer a change of pace from traditional fair food.

“I just wanted people to be able to come to the fair and get a quality meal,” he said.

Along with its steak tip dinners, the tent offers ribeye steaks, side dishes and drinks. Greene said his business’ food is gluten-free and its vegetables are grown without the use of pesticides.

“We have people coming up every day telling us … just how much they love the food,” he said.