The 168th annual Washington County Fair is back in West Bend, with a new manager, new equipment, and the return of the rodeo as fair organizers aim for record attendance of 80,000 people.
Setup is underway ahead of Tuesday's opening.
"It feels just like a family reunion," Tanya Becker said. "Everyone has worked all year long for this moment."
Watch: Washington County Fair returns to West Bend with new manager and rodeo
Becker is the new fair manager, and she said the energy around this year's event has been building all season.
"I just love seeing the community come together," she said. "Seeing all of the hard work this team has pulled off…. It's just incredible."
Among those preparing for the week is Claire Williams, who is prepping horse stalls before bringing in Blu, a rescue horse she will show for the first time.
"It's a lot of nerves, but I'm super excited to be able to spend this week with my horses," she said. "We have our Tuesday night sleepover in the barn!"
Williams said the preparation is hard work, but something that makes the week special.
"To be here all the time before it even opens… I find it to be really cool," she said. "Seeing all the fairgoers come and see all of our horses. It's a really cool experience to be a part of being able to expose people to this amazing sport."
Fair management also added new digital kiosks to help direct visitors around the grounds and upgraded audio speakers throughout, including new wiring. Beth Remmel is the coordinator of the educational Ag-Adventureland exhibit, and she spoke highly of the new management.
"They're amazing," Remmel said. "Anything we need to keep it fresh and safe, they're more than willing to help us with."
Her exhibition is expanding to the front of the barn area this year, showing young fairgoers what farm life in Wisconsin is really like — rather than just telling them.
The Washington County Fair opens Tuesday at 3 p.m. and runs through Sunday night in West Bend.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
