(A continuation of our visit to the Wisconsin State Fair)A fair means animals, and they were in fine form - even amidst the 35C degree heat (at 6pm). It was hard to choose between the champion clydesdales (we happened to be in the stables just as they were preparing for final judging), or the champion sheep.
The horse barn was filled with breeders from all over the country who had decked out their stalls in their corporate colours.
It's hard to see in the photos but many had elaborate drapery, signage and uniforms. It's obviously big business and the atmosphere was electric (and filled with the noise of overhead fans busily trying to cool down the animals) as the horses and handlers clip, clopped off to the show ring.
The horses were huge, much bigger than they appear in the photos. The Budweiser Clydesdales (think Speights) were there in all their finery, with a special display of stables under a massive tent - lots of red velvet (my camera battery died about this point!)I didn't get to take any pictures of the sheep because of the camera but that was altogether another world. The only breed I vaguely recognised were the Suffolks, but we'd never seen anything like the grooming that was going on.Every sheep was covered in a canvas full body and face cover - obviously to protect their freshly cleaned and groomed coats. We saw several sheep up on a podium stand, with their heads and feet teathered to keep them still and standing straight and 2-3 people at a time were teasing out their coast with a wire brush (like you'd use on a sheepskin rug - funny that!). My farmer father would have had a fit.
We saw one group of owners who had set up their sleeping quarters in a small space next to their sheep. They'd set up cots, a cooler, fans, put up some blankets for semi-privacy, had hung their washing on the railings...and in the middle of it all was a portable dog kennel with the border collie sheep dog asleep in the shade. Most handlers slept in RV and caravans in the fairground carparks - these guys weren't leaving their sheep.
These guys look much like their cousin - that now graces our living room floor!After our experience at the crowded Summerfest two week music festival here in Milwaukee, we thought it wouldn't hurt to get to the amphitheater a little early and try and grab a good spot. An hour before the show we turned up to find almost no one there, so we grabbed a prime spot about 5 rows back from the stage.
Forty five minutes goes by and the roadies are still setting up, and there are only about 50 people assembled in the crowd.
Another ten minutes and there's only about another 50 people....
The band are late on stage due to some problems in the setup...but even by then there are less than 200 people in the audience...We're thinking "this is way weird". Or maybe "this is Milwaukee"?! On the main stage that night was a country music concert - we should have
known...The band comes out and cranks into some tunes....and people start to leave. It quickly became obvious that most of the crowd were obviously just general show patrons, curious to listen in to a free concert, but not fans and obviously the music (great to us!) wasn't to their liking.
Thirty minutes into the show more people leave, an hour into the show and the poor lead singer
(by now noticeably upset by the people leaving) jumps off the stage and starts sitting amongst the crowd with a cordless mic trying to make light of it. After another few songs she invites people up on stage - by now there are more fans on stage than sitting in the audience. It was hilarious, but we felt so sorry for the band...they'll NEVER come back to Milwaukee!
