I was not going to work again at the WI State Fair this year. I was going to go out and do new and wonderful things. I was going to grab life with both hands and let it take me for a ride. Needless to say, I was back at Gate 5 on Aug 3 ready to work another amazing fair.
In early spring when I received an email from my boss in the Ag dept. of state fair asking if I wanted to work Gate 5, I just could not turn him down. And when the AM supervisor for the Real WI Cheese Grill was offered a promotion she couldn’t miss, I was quick to take the position and be back to my normal duties.
The Cheese Grill is most times a super, fast-paced stand where grilled cheese come flying off the grill every second. I work with amazing people keeping the lines to a manageable distance and the grilled cheese hot and tasty. The crew I work with always impresses me and we work like a well oiled machine together to get through each of the eleven days of the fair.
After the 7 am to 3 pm shift, it was back up to Gate 5 till 11 pm. Gate 5 is almost like home. It is so familiar and comfortable. All the people from the past 2-3 years were back and this fair at the gate was best yet. We all know our own jobs, as well as each others, so when cars get backed up and customers get too excited, we all know how to handle it. We also have so much fun joking around, singing, dancing, teasing, or just chatting up a storm. But mostly it just feels like fun and games and a little work.
It only lasts two weeks, but the State Fair is such a happy time. People come to the fair expecting to see all the animals, eat the delicious not-so-healthy-for-you food, take home free goodies, take home not-so-free goodies, enjoy cold beverages, and walk around just seeing the sites. The Ag exhibitors who come through the Gate are so nice to work with. They come from all over the state and it’s wonderful to get to know them and their faces throughout the fair.
Sleep becomes treasured during the fair as long working hours cut into the bedtime schedule. Food also becomes scarce as throughout the work day you just don’t stop to take a break to eat anything.
But, I enjoy every day of the fair. I love the exhibitors, the grilled cheese crew, and my home at Gate 5. When I take the chance to walk around the fair with a fellow cheese grill worker, ride the sky glider with a good friend, stay up late to hang out with other workers and ag staffers in the Ag Oasis, or just stay longer and talk with someone, the fair becomes complete.
It has not been decided if I will return for yet again a fifth year at the State Fair. If I do, anyone will be able to find me at the grilled cheese stand or working Gate 5.
