WEST ALLIS, Wis. — As the Wisconsin State Fair kicks off, families like the Van Gilders find creative ways to save— while still indulging in the food, fun, and tradition.
“You may spend a couple dollars going to Hawaii, you know, and I spend a couple dollars at the fair,” said fairgoer, James Van Gilder.
James Van Gilder is a longtime fair-goer, and this year he kicked off opening day with his family. He says he tries to put the price tags in the back of his mind, but they tend to tally up.
“Well, between the food and whatever I can find at the expo center and then of course the milk stand, it probably ends up being about $150 dollars, and then when I’m here with my friends, we get some drinks— it can go up to $200 dollars pretty easily,” said James.
Watch: Wisconsin State fairgoers prioritize experience
To cut costs, his mother says they took advantage of a first-day deal.
“We were able to get discount tickets because we brought in canned food. Piggly Wiggly is doing a special,” said fairgoer, Connie Van Gilder.
While this special is over, there are a couple more on the horizon.
Friday, August 1: Buy one ticket, get one free for out-of-state fairgoers.
Sunday, August 3: Free entry for veterans, active military service members and their families.
Thursday, August 7: Free entry for educators.
Tim McCormick with the state fair says the best time to get tickets at a low price is during the winter holidays, but if you haven’t snagged them for this year, there’s still plenty of free activities and entertainment inside the park.
“There’s canine demonstrations where they are doing jumps and flips and whatever else, free activities there. People watching—one of my favorite free activities,” said McCormick.
For the Van Gilder family, they say the fair is worth every penny.
“It’s better than Chicago prices,” said James.
More information on Wisconsin State Fair deal days can be found on their website.
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