The Art of Marathoning the Wisconsin State Fair

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Photo credit: Billy Cicerelli

Billy Cicerelli with the Patrick Cudahy Barbershop Quartet

The Wisconsin State Fair returns to Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis for its 2018 run from August 2-12. Dreaming of cream puffs? Looking forward to that can't-miss concert? Interested in the visual arts events at the fair? The Shepherd Express Wisconsin State Fair Guide has you covered! This special section is brought to you by the State Fair.

It’s possible nobody looks forward to the Wisconsin State Fair more than Billy Cicerelli. A sound engineer for 91.7 WMSE, Cicerelli doesn’t just attend the fair; for eight or nine days out of the year he practically lives there. After years of spending 15 hours a day at the fairgrounds, he’s become such a mainstay he’s acquired the nickname “Mr. Fair.” “The thing I love about the fair is that people come in from all over the state and all over the country,” Cicerelli tells the Shepherd Express. “It’s a really good mixing of rural and urban, so I like the fact that people get to see how other people exist. That’s why the fair is so important to me; we get to mingle.” Cicerelli spoke about the secrets of spending well over 100 hours at the fair each year.

People must ask you this all the time, but what…

What do I do for 15 hours a day at the fair? I meet people. That’s my favorite thing. My favorite thing is to get some food—and there’s an art form with food at the fair. I’ve learned to parade food really well. You get something, and you hold it up as you walk around with it, and people come running up to you to ask you where you got it. So I have fun parading food. So I’ll get some food, and I’ll sit at a bench and wait for someone to sit down next to me and then we’ll strike up some conversation. And that’s the beauty of the fair. People are way more at ease, and they’ll just sit and talk with you. People will tell me all about their lives. Last year I met a guy from Manitowoc who drove a bus that brought people down to the fair, and we just sat and talked. I’ve met teachers from Michigan. Last year I met a lot of people from Illinois. There are people from all over the country, and it’s just a more inviting atmosphere for conversation, because people don’t have that posture of “Who are you? What do you want?” Think about it: People go to the fair to have a good time. So everybody is in a good mood. I’ll meet friends down there, but the times I enjoy the most are when I’m just on my own walking around.

When you’re there for 15 hours a day you have to pace yourself. It’s a lot of walking. I know which side of the fair grounds to be on at what time of the day for getting shade—all those things. I’ll share all those tips with people. A lot of people don’t know there’s a lot of bathrooms under the grandstand, especially a lot of women’s bathrooms. So in the expo building where it’s small bathrooms and long lines, I’ll let them know where to go. I know the fastest ways to get east or west or go north or south even during the busiest times. I’ve had people come up to me later in the day after giving them a tip about something, and they’ll be like, “Dude, thanks a lot!”

And it never gets old, even after you’ve spend four or five days there?

It really doesn’t get old, because the people are new every day. It’s a whole new crowd of people every day. And it’s a great combination, because it’s a whole new crowd of people, but you’ve also got the same people who work there every day. I got to know one of the people in the Expo center who sold a salsa maker, Chef Rick, who is actually an amazing comedian. He hasn’t been there for a few years now, but if you want a good, entertaining time, there’s a guy there who sells a mandolin slicer, and just go and watch him, because he’s so quick and so brilliant. His wit is as sharp as his mandolin slicer. He’ll throw these quips out at people and it’ll just go over their head, but I’ll be laughing so hard. It’s great to see people so good at what they do.

What will you find at the State Fair that you wouldn’t find at a county fair?

The difference between a state fair and a county fair is that there’s just more. The music is going to be different. They’re very similar, but county fairs are obviously for the people from the county, where the State Fair is people from all the counties. County fairs are smaller and a lot more local, because people don’t come from all over the way they do for the State Fair. But otherwise they’re pretty similar: food, music, animals. I learned a lot of things about the animal showings. A lot of these steers are pretty pampered animals. They’re kept in air conditioned stables in the summers to keep their hair growing. The other secret is if you walk around the coliseum you’ll see cans of hair paint, so they’ll actually touch the animals up to make them look good. But the animals know that the people are there to serve them. They can tell. At the governor’s auction, I think one year the prize winning steer went off for like $58,000, so that’s a great college fund for the kid raising it.

So you take off during the fair?

Yeah, everybody knows they’re not going to see me during the fair. It’s my one thing. It’s my balance point; it’s what levels me out from the rest of the year. And it’s also my way of putting my finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the world, as far as how we’re doing as people. You see people from all over, from all walks of life, dressed however they want, and everybody is accepted. Nobody is judged. I tell people, wouldn’t this be great if this were how the world always is? People just getting along with music and food? That’s how I look at it.

Read more of our coverage of the Wisconsin State Fair and enter to win a 4-pack of tickets here.