Published: July 31, 2018
A FAIR — BUT NO FAIREST?
By Nicholas Dettmann
ndettmann@conleynet.com 262-306-5043
TOWN OF POLK — Teresa Artymiuk (nee
Dietenberger) was the Fairest of the Fair for the 2012 Washington County Fair.
No one has unseated her.
That’s because not since then has there been a
Fairest of the Fair contest at the Washington County Fair.
Shortly before the 2013 fair, officials
announced it was discontinuing the Fairest of the Fair competition, a fair
tradition each year since 1974 until its discontinuation. However, it doesn’t
appear to be coming back anytime soon.
“It is every fair’s decision whether to
participate or not,” said Kellie Boone, Fair Park executive director. “It
became too difficult to get volunteers to run it. It’s a very time intensive
competition to do.”
Six years later, Artymiuk is still
disappointed the competition remains absent from her home fair.
“I think having a Fairest of the Fair is a
huge asset to fairs,” she said. “Their main job is to promote the fair and
interact with the residents and add a personal touch to both the promotion and
interactions.”
In a 2013 article in the Daily News announcing
the Fairest of the Fair contest was being cut, then executive director and fair
manager Sandy Lang said, “We decided not to have the contest due to lack of
participation and lack of committee.”
In that story, Artymiuk, then Dietenberger,
said, “it’s a shame. I was in 4-H for seven years. The fair is comparable to
Christmas.”
When Artymiuk won, three girls competed for
the title.
At that time, Lang said she didn’t believe not
having a “fairest” would have a direct impact on the fair. So far that doesn’t
appear to be the case and a potential revival is quite a ways away, if ever.
“Being named fairest was a huge highlight in
my career of the Washington County Fair,” Artymiuk said. “I am a 4-H alumni and
current leader. Fair time means showing off what the exhibitors worked on for
359 days to the community over a matter of six days. Also it meant that I would be able to assist promoting what is my
favorite time of year.”
One common misconception about Fairest of the
Fair is that it is only open to women. That is not true, Artymiuk said.
“Fairest of the Fair competition is open to
males,” she said. “Many years ago Washington County had a male contestant. Also
from the pictures I saw from last year’s Wisconsin Fair’s Convention, there was
a male contestant representing one of the many fairs from within the state.”
There have been discussions about trying to
revive the competition. But, so far, the discussions haven’t gotten very far.
“The decision still has been no,” Boone said.
Some fairgoers didn’t know the competition had
ceased to exist, including Marie Schmidt and Donna Kleinmaus.
“It’s unfortunate for the county,” Schmidt
said.
The Fairest of the Fair serves as an ambassador
for a county fair by promoting the fair at
various functions, such as parades or festivals. The Fairest of the Fair from
all participating counties represents the corresponding fair at the annual
Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis.
Out of the individual fairs, a statewide
Fairest of the Fair is crowned. This year, that honor went to Isabella Haen,
representing the Kewaunee County Fair. On Wednesday, Haen was at the Washington
County Fair. A tradition for 52 years, the state’s Fairest of the Fair travels
to all the county, district and state fairs in Wisconsin to promote “the
educational, agricultural, social, cultural and commercial opportunities
available at our state’s great fairs,” according to the Wisconsin Association
of Fairs website.
Boone said she’s seen from other county fairs
that the Fairest of the Fair is becoming less common. The reason again centers
on interested competitors and volunteers to organize and judge the competition.
“It’s extremely difficult to get the volunteers
you need,” Boone said.
Schmidt said the fairest competition is “fun to
have it.” But it appears no longer a necessity.
At the Washington County Fair, specifically
with the Fair Park facility, Boone has made a push for the grounds to be a
year-round facility, offering events or concerts, outside of the County Fair
offerings. One of those examples is the inaugural Country Live Music Festival
in September, which is headlined by national recording star Rodney Atkins.
Because of events such as that, the time
available for staff at Fair Park has dwindled.
Boone said she wouldn’t object to Fairest of
the Fair at the Washington County Fair returning at some point. In order to do
so, however, a lot of people will need to step up and take on the several-months
task. “It’s something we’ll revisit every year and we can determine whether not
we have the volunteers or the staff,” Boone said.
“I definitely think that our Fairest program
should be brought back,” Artymiuk said. “Fairs of all sizes through out the
state have been bringing back the program. The state competition continues to
grow and I think it is a great experience for anyone interested.”
Thank you for your recent expose on "A Fair -- But No Fairest?".
ReplyDeleteIt would seem to me that this event is not being given the kind of priority that some feel it should. I am concerned that more and more 4H and youth-based programs and opportunities seem to be dropping off, while greater emphasis is given to simply growing attendance and selling beer. A healthy bottom line is of course important, but to do so at the expense of programming and activities for our county's youth seems counter-intuitive to what the fair is supposed to be about.
I had always remembered the fair being touted as the Washington County Junior Fair. Sometime in the last decade that emphasis appears to have gotten lost and replaced with a purely material focus on selling sponsorships,admissions and refreshments. Many of the cultural, hands-on and yes, 'Fairest of the Fair' type programs are being replaced by more quantitative alternatives.
Is there really lack of a volunteer effort for this event, or is it easier just to put it out to pasture as "a thing of the past"? The trend statewide shows it to be on the rebound.
Yes, it takes work to keep such a program going. The judging, interviewing and collection of 'prizes' won't happen on its' own. And recruitment will also require pro-active measures starting well in advance of each fair. But to call it an impossible task without giving it a 'fair' chance seems to be a disservice to our county's youth.
I for one would sure love to see this week-long event re-evolve into the Washington County JUNIOR Fair once again. Our surrounding counties offer great examples of how that can be accomplished based on their on-going success. Are we up to the challenge? ...Or bound by our own apathy? There could be a fresh wind that could breath new life into this time-honored tradition. Let it be so!
Scott Lopas