R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press Following the lead of members of the co-operative Art Club, fairgoers try their hands at sand-sculpting.

ESCANABA — Not just about carnival rides and rich food, the Upper Peninsula State Fair has a mission to educate and engage. The annual event that concluded Sunday once again brought people together and dropped unexpected experiences even on longtime fairgoers.

The Miracle of Life building at the Upper Peninsula State Fair is known for its exhibits that give fairgoers the opportunity to see live births of farm animals, but it also hosts other stations. The repeat attraction that is cheese carving by Sarah Kaufmann was brought to the fair by the United Dairy Industry of Michigan, who represents the interests of dairy farmers throughout the state.

At a table giving out whimsical cow-print swag and various items emblazoned with the words “undeniably dairy” and “milk means more” and “legendairy,” Linda Klope shared some information about milk production.

Printed on cards were questions for passersby, face-down so that the trivia faced was a surprise. Those bold enough to give it a shot won a free ice cream cone.

A woman puzzling over the question of how many dairy farms in Michigan are independently- or family-owned guessed, “Thirteen percent?”

The fun fact answer was surprising and satisfying: “It’s actually over 90 percent,” Klope replied.

By engaging with Klope and attempting to answer the trivia questions, people gained a coupon for a free ice cream from DeBacker Family Dairy — one of the approximately 900 independent dairy producers in the state. DeBacker had a mobile unit on the midway.

Also in the Miracle of Life building, the Michigan Farm Bureau was giving out bags of potato chips made from Michigan potatoes.

“Our goal at the fair is to educate people about where their food comes from,” said Marsha Wainio, whose family operates Johnson Potato Farm.

Adjacent barns gave people the opportunity to see a variety of animals — horses, cows, sheep, ducks, geese, pigeons, turkeys, pigs. Even kids who grow up on farms and are involved with some kind of livestock or crop production are often not familiar with other types of farms, and for some city folks, even seeing cows is a rarity.

In the beef barn, a sign labeled “Everything but the moo” detailed how every part of cattle is used — hair for air filters, brushes, textiles; bones for refined sugar, fertilizer, glass; fat for paint, chewing gum, pet food; hooves and horns for emery boards, photo film, plywood, etc.

While “The Cheese Lady” Kaufmann sculpted her art in an enclosed space to protect the medium, another giant artwork — also crafted live at the fair — is outdoors. Art Club, a collective of artists, was working on one large sand sculpture off the western end of the midway but also provided a few small pools of the same material and tools for others to use.

Anyone — child or adult — wishing to try working with the natural clay-sand substance was able to stop by, get their hands dirty attempting a sculpture, and hear from the Art Club crew about how they do what they do.

Most of the thousands of people who entered through the gates at the U.P. State Fair did so as a group, attending with partners or friends or family. Many ran into people they knew on the midway and in the grandstands.

For the introverted, there was certainly no need to interact with others. It was entirely possible to pay admission and then simply people-watch; maybe pet some animals; silently evaluate the fine art and textiles; and keep purchases of elephant ears, steak tip dinners, fried whitefish or cotton candy simply transactional.

But the U.P. State Fair always offers practically infinite opportunities for engagement. Whether it was hearing from caricaturist Rex Rubenzer about his experience in the floods at the Wisconsin State Fair as he drew people seated before him, learning how to become a citizen scientist with MSU Extension, talking to livestock-raising teen Emma Verbeek about what it was like to win a 4-H State Award recently, or any number of other conversations and activities, many memorable moments were made last week.

As the rides are packed away, travelling vendors head off to their next events and fair traffic leaves town, some people are already looking forward to the fairgrounds roaring to life next August for the once-a-year festivities that have been a beloved fixture in Escanaba for just a couple years shy of a century.

R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press
Linda Klope, right, doles out ice cream coupons, fun facts and swag from the United Dairy Industry of Michigan in the Miracle of Life building last week.