Wisconsin Writer Writes Definitive History of Wisconsin County Fair | Entertainment

Wisconsin-based writer Jerry Apps wrote about many different fields of agriculture during his lifetime.

His latest book, “Meet Me Halfway, A History of the Wisconsin Fair,” published this summer by Wisconsin Historical Society Press, looks at how different aspects of state and county fairs — agriculture and recreation — come together in together society.

Q: How did you decide to write “Meet Me Halfway”?

A: I’ve written quite a bit about the history of rural Wisconsin, including the history of the one-room schoolhouse and the history of agriculture. Somehow I didn’t go to (write) this icon, county and state fair. It’s time for me to understand. I have a lot of experience from when I was a kid to when I became an impartial judge and county extension agent. I know a lot about bazaars from the beginning, but I don’t know the early history, how they started, and where they started. For example, the Bazaar dates back to 500 BC. It seems fitting that I wrote something about the history of the fair.

Q: Do you still like to go to exhibitions?

A: I am 88 years old. I don’t do much travel these days. But when I worked for UW-Extension, I went to the state fair and several county fairs every year.

Q: Aside from the animals and rides, most of the expo revolves around food? Do you have a favorite fair fare?

A: When I started attending shows in 1946, I had about 25 cents to spend. I don’t really have a favorite food because I can’t afford it. One year…we purchased Army surplus tents in Watoma (overnight) at the Washara County Fair. We all went downtown for dinner. Dinner is 50 cents.

Q: You talk about being a judge at a show in your book, which in my opinion would be a stressful position, but you’ve been doing it for over a decade. What do you like about it?

A: I did it for 10 or 15 years. When you look back on history, judging at the show is one of the important educational dimensions. My father exhibited his cattle at the Wasala County Fair in the 1920s. Why did he do that? (Because) farmers are always interested in improvement. At the show, they can see what excellence is and what direction they might be working towards. That’s exactly what he’s doing. It’s an opportunity to bring friends from all over the county together and see what’s better than the other. Competition and judging at the exhibition are still very important.

Q: Have you ever worried about hurting other people’s feelings during the judging process?

A: You better not worry or you will never be a judge. I’ve judged pigs and beef cattle, I’ve judged photography, and I’m a garden judge. I’m a vegetable judge and when judging cabbage, I turn it over to see if there’s a price tag, because if there is a price (you know it’s not native). I don’t think (the parents) realized that Johnny went to the grocery store and bought a head of cabbage.

Q: Why do you feel it is important to highlight each county fair?

A: First, I thought I might include two or three or four or five counties as examples of fair history. Once I got into it, I decided it was best to write down each of them. Now, I am faced with…where can I find this information? The first place I started was writing outreach offices in these different counties. That’s a good source. Then I wrote to the bazaar, some counties have all kinds of wonderful historical materials. I went to the local historical society and it saved the day. I have spoken to many historical societies over the past few years.

Q: Throughout the book, you have stories of people who attended fairs in different counties in Wisconsin. How did you find people who were involved decades ago?

A: I still write a weekly column for Wisconsin farmers. I put out a request for anyone with a story about their experience at the show to contact me. I have 50 people. This is not particularly unusual for the way I write. I like stories. For me, stories bring history to life. Many people found their spouses at the fair. They are very open about it. They sent me more details than I wanted.

Q: How many books have you written? what are you doing now?

A: I don’t really know, it’s 50 some (books). I have written 12 novels. I am writing a series of novels for young readers. I am now working on the third one. All of these novels deal with rural issues, and I don’t like to write them in a non-fiction way. My role deals with land use and food safety issues. I have taught creative writing for 42 years. I would tell my students to “don’t be preached” (in your writing), so I created a preacher (in my novel) to do just that. I write more poetry than I should admit, but I sneak it into my novel. I am currently writing three different books. I published my first book in 1970. My goal is to write a book when I’m 90, and I plan to publish a book in 2024.

Q: What else should people know about “meet me halfway”?

A: Throughout the book, I have tried to emphasize the need for mutual understanding between rural and urban America. It is easy to look down upon or take agriculture for granted. (But) agriculture is vital to our future. I’m trying to get through this fair book as I’ve been trying to use 20 or 30 other books to illustrate this point.