You would not be entirely off base for confusing portions of the dairy barn at the Door County Fair for being a family’s living room. Farm families retreated to their respective parts of the barn during the lunch break of Friday’s dairy show, which features both a junior fair and open class divisions.
Names like Wautier, Olson, Brey, Kinnard, Uecker, LaCrosse, and Wilke lined the walls with posters describing their animals and ribbons attached highlighting their achievements. Showing animals at the Door County Fair is more than something you do. It is a tradition passed down from father to son, mother to daughter, and even cousin to cousin. That is the case for Rachel and Natalie Wilke of the Country View 4-H Club. After years of helping out her older cousins during their five-day residency at the fair, Natalie got to have her own cow to show. Natalie was proud of what she accomplished in her first year, while Rachel, who has also exhibited poultry and sheep at the fair, was able to give her some words of advice along the way.
The last animal shows at the Door County Fair wrap up Saturday morning before the Quality Market Animal Sale at 7 p.m. inside the dairy barn. The only exception is the gymkhana show, which takes place at 9 a.m. at the horse arena on Sunday.
