Wisconsin
Your guide to the 2024 Central Wisconsin State Fair at the Marshfield Fairgrounds
The Central Wisconsin State Fair returns to the Marshfield Fairgrounds Aug. 20-25 with live music, a demolition derby, bull riding, carnival, classic fair foods and more.
MARSHFIELD − The Central Wisconsin State Fair returns to the Marshfield Fairgrounds, 513 E. 17th St., Aug. 20-25 with fun and activities for all ages.
This year’s activities include live music, a demolition derby, bull riding, animal judging, a carnival, classic fair food favorites, a variety of vendors and much more.
Here’s your 2024 guide to the Wood County fair.
Who is performing at the Central Wisconsin State Fair?
Dylan Scott, Hairball and Daughtry will headline the grandstand at this year’s Central Wisconsin State Fair.
Dylan Scott will perform at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 21. Scott is a singer and songwriter with country hits including “Hooked,” “Nobody,” “My Girl” and “New Truck.” He has been nominated as best new country artist at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, earned the 2021 CMT Music Award for breakthrough video of the year, and was a 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards nominee for new male artist of the year.
Hairball will return to the fair at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 22 by popular demand. Hairball is a rock band that plays homage to acts like Van Halen, KISS, Motley Crue, Queen, Journey and Aerosmith.
Daughtry will perform at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 23. Daughtry is a rock band fronted by namesake Chris Daughtry, who finished fourth on Season 5 of “American Idol” in 2006. The band is best known for its hits “What About Now,” “It’s Not Over,” “Home” and “No Surprise.”
What else is happening in the grandstand?
Rice Rodeo Co. will perform “Bulls, Broncs -N- Barrels” at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 24. The show includes bull riding, comedy, special acts and other entertainment.
Obsession with Destruction Demolition Derby will start at 2 p.m. Aug. 25. Drivers will battle to see who can make it to the finals for a chance to win prize money.
How much does grandstand admission cost?
- Dylan Scott: $35 for grandstand seating, $45 for trackside standing and $75 for VIP seating
- Hairball: $25 for grandstand seating, $35 for trackside standing and $45 for VIP seating
- Daughtry: $40 for grandstand seating, $50 for trackside standing and $80 for VIP seating
- Bulls, Broncs -N- Barrels: $25 for those 13 years and older, $15 for youths 5 to 12 and free for children 4 years and younger
- Obsession with Destruction Demolition Derby: $25 for those 13 years and older, $15 for youths 5 to 12 and free for children 4 years and younger
This year, purchasing grandstand tickets includes the cost of gate admission, if purchased before entering the fair. Season tickets do not include grandstand entertainment when tickets for shows are required. Tickets can be purchased online at centralwisconsinstatefair.com/p/tickets or at the fair office.
When will the carnival be open at the fair?
Mr. Ed’s Magical Midways returns to the Central Wisconsin State Fair and will offer a new schedule this year. The carnival will be open starting at 2 p.m. Aug. 21-23 and at noon Aug. 24-25.
Wristbands will be available for $25 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 21-23 and noon to 5 p.m. Aug. 25, for $30 from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Aug. 21-23, and for $35 from noon to 5 p.m. Aug. 24. Individual ride tickets also will be available for purchase daily, according to the fair’s website.
Wristbands are not valid on the bumper cars or Gravity Storm bungee jump. Wristbands can be purchased in advance at the Mr. Ed’s website at mredsmidway.com.
Local youths will showcase projects and animals during the fair
Hundreds of Wood County youths will exhibit thousands of projects as part of the Junior Fair. The Junior Fair allows youths to display their projects and get feedback from state-licensed judges.
Junior Fair animal judging takes place daily and includes everything from horses, dairy, beef, rabbits and sheep to cats, llamas, swine, goats and poultry.
Non-animal projects will also be displayed throughout the fair in the Junior Fair Exhibition Building. Projects include everything from woodworking, photography, cultural arts, and food and nutrition to health and citizenship, youth leadership, knitting and crocheting, and mechanical sciences.
There will also be a Dress-A-Cow contest at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Jer Lang Show Palace, and Pleasure Valley Pig & Duck Races multiple times throughout the week. The Central Wisconsin State Fair Horse Pull will start at 6 p.m. Aug. 23, and the Meyer Farms 10 Horse Pyramid Hitch draft horse show at 6 p.m. Aug. 24.
How much is admission for the Central Wisconsin State Fair?
Daily admission to the fair costs $10 for everyone 13 and older, $5 for children 5-12 and free for children 4 and younger. Season gate passes are $30 for adults, $15 for children and free for those 4 and younger. Season passes can be purchased in the fair office or on the website at centralwisconsinstatefair.com. Daily admission passes can be purchased at the gate on the day you arrive.
On Tuesday only, tickets are half price for adults and free for children 12 and younger. Those who enter at Gate D (at the corner of Peach Avenue and 17th Street) between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Tuesday are admitted for free.
Senior Citizen Day is Wednesday, and adults ages 62 and older will be admitted to the fair for $5 from open to close with a valid ID. Wednesday is also Veterans Appreciation Day, and all active and retired military personnel and their spouse or significant other will be admitted to the fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $5 with a military ID.
Take advantage of the BOGO special from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 24. Buy one adult pass and get the second adult or child pass for free.
How much does it cost to park?
Parking at the Central Wisconsin State Fair is free, and visitors are encouraged to park in the general parking area, which is located by Gate D. It is a grassy area off of Peach Avenue and 17th Street, according to a fair spokesperson.
Where can I find more information about the fair?
For more information, visit centralwisconsinstatefair.com or find Central Wisconsin State Fair on Facebook.
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Editor Jamie Rokus can be reached at jrokus@gannett.com or follow her on Twitter at @Jamie_Rokus.
APPLETON, Wis. — More than 200 Wisconsin National Guard troops are back home this weekend.
The troops based out of Appleton returned on Friday after a deployment throughout the Middle East for more than a year.
Members of the Wisconsin National Guard’s 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry Regiment were treated to a warm welcome home by family and friends at Appleton Flight Center.
Staff Sgt. Ryan Hayes said seeing his family again after being gone for so long was amazing. He said it was especially emotional reuniting with his daughters and his 3-year-old son.
“It was kind of… honestly, kind of tear-jerking a little bit. I was trying to hold… It was hard to hold it back, you know? It’s hard to watch him grow through a phone, you know?” Hayes said.
Major General Matt Strub, Wisconsin’s adjutant general, said troops’ mission included conducting security operations in nine different countries.
He said they also took part in the largest transfer of enemy prisoners of war in Central Command history.
“How long they serve depends on the individual. But this was just a normal one-year rotation into the Middle East to just provide that security that the U.S. needs in the region. During the time they were gone, Operation Epic Fury kicked off. Their mission changed slightly, but still to provide security for the region,” he said.
Gov. Tony Evers was on hand to welcome the troops back to Wisconsin.
Strub said the celebration on Friday was well-earned and well-deserved.
“When they see the fire cannons, the water cannons, when they see the families with the balloons and signs, it’s truly… The joy swells up. The emotion of being gone wells up. You really just feel like you’ve… You’re welcomed home in a positive way,” he said.
Hayes said he felt blessed to be back home with his family.
“I feel really good to be home, be with my kids, another deployment under my belt. That just puts everything into perspective, like how lucky we are back here in the United States to have what we have and be able to have this,” he said.
This group of soldiers worked as part of the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility. They worked alongside NATO partners before wrapping up their deployment.
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Matthew Jacobson found his calling in middle school history class.
As a sixth grader at St. John Vianney Catholic School in Brookfield, he voluntarily completed additional research projects and jumped at the chance to present to his classmates. He never saw the extra assignments as work — he was having fun. When Jacobson’s teacher told him he’d make a great educator himself, he set his sights on the profession. In high school, he participated in Elmbrook School District’s future teachers program and planned to enroll in university for his teaching degree.
But life had other plans. Several weeks before his high school graduation, Jacobson was forced to move out on his own. He picked up a cooking job to “pay the bills and survive.” The gig didn’t leave extra money or time for college.
“I didn’t really know how to get back into college and go meet my dream,” Jacobson said.
Two years later, he heard about a novel apprenticeship program, where future teachers earn money working in schools as they obtain their education and certifications.
“I was like, ‘That’s my way back in,’” he said.
State officials launched the program in 2024 to ease the educator shortage by offering students an alternative route to the profession — one where they don’t have to put their careers on pause while racking up student debt. Jacobson is one of the first eight teacher apprentices.
Today, Jacobson has returned to Elmbrook to serve as a classroom aide. In two years, he’ll have the proper training for the district to hire him as an elementary or middle school teacher.
But as participants reach the program’s halfway point, its future beyond this initial “pilot” phase is unclear — raising questions about whether apprenticeships will become a viable solution to Wisconsin’s struggle to find and keep educators.
While the route has been life-changing for students like Jacobson, program leaders are having trouble enticing school districts to take on more apprentices. Enrollment has ground to a halt; the two technical colleges involved don’t have any new students signed up to begin in the fall.
Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development officials say whether the program continues or grows depends on if districts get on board and sponsor trainees to join up. But district leaders say a major hurdle is the cost — a key appeal of an apprenticeship is the employer paying them for the time they spend learning, but many public schools are already strapped for cash. Some want more funding tied to the program.
“(It’s) stalling a little bit,” said Trent Sorensen, a Fox Valley Technical College dean. “We don’t have any (students) coming in for the fall. … There’s plenty of time, but it’s not taking off like it did in other states, and it’s simply because of the funding.”
A new way to train teachers
Wisconsin schools struggle to find enough teachers needed to lead classrooms — a problem largely fueled by poor retention and new workers moving to other states after graduating.
In 2024, Congress came through with some assistance: $570,000 in federal funds earmarked for establishing a teacher apprenticeship program in Wisconsin.
Officials from DWD, the Department of Public Instruction, the Wisconsin Technical College System, and two universities teamed up to debut the pilot in January 2024. They praised the “earn-while-you-learn” approach to establishing a pipeline of workers: Districts could guarantee they’d have future teachers, while also filling lower-skilled jobs in the meantime.
Typically, aspiring teachers work a shorter classroom internship while studying for their bachelor’s degree and then complete a semester of student teaching after graduating. The apprenticeship is “taking that entire approach and flipping it on its head,” said Nick Abbott, senior program and policy analyst at the Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards — creating a potentially more accessible path to the profession.
“Traditional educator preparation programs can be expensive, as they often require unpaid student teaching, which might not be feasible for low-income students, nontraditional students or individuals looking to change careers,” Gov. Tony Evers said when the program launched. “The new teacher apprenticeship pilot program will help address issues in turnover and retention, reduce barriers and encourage young people to enter the field.”
Apprenticeships are becoming more common in Wisconsin in fields ranging from plumbing to nursing. Participation has hit record highs for the last four years. These gigs are far more common for hands-on jobs in the skilled trades than fields like education and health care, but that’s changing with initiatives like the teacher apprenticeship program.
Here’s how it works: A school district hires an apprentice, who enrolls at Fox Valley Technical College or Waukesha County Technical College for two years to complete a Foundations of Teacher Education associate’s degree. When finished, the student transfers to Lakeland University or the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at Rock County to finish a bachelor’s degree.
Throughout those roughly four years of schooling, the apprentice works inside the classroom as an assistant for 32 hours each week and spends eight hours a week learning at college. The school district the person works for pays an hourly wage for those 40 total hours. When apprentices finish the training, they’re qualified to work as a classroom teacher.
“Nothing prepares you for doing this job, other than doing the job,” Jacobson said. “Being at a school working with kids is easily 10 times more important than any of the classes I’ve taken, and I get way better experience and much more value out of just doing it and learning through failure.”
As a way of incentivizing the program during its infancy, the eight students get half of their tuition costs reimbursed with federal grant funds.
Four districts participate in the pilot: Wauwatosa, Greendale, Elmbrook and Appleton. The districts are not required to pay for the remainder of the apprentice’s tuition — Elmbrook, a relativelywealthy district, was the only one that did.
State leaders also hope the apprenticeships might help with teacher retention. Teachers will start with four years of classroom management experience already under their belt, far more than usual.Plus, other teachers mentor them on the job. That essentially eliminates the difficult experience of being a first-year teacher, said Appleton Area School District Chief Human Resources Officer Julie King.
“Managing a classroom and the curriculum and all the demands of the job is very overwhelming after having maybe 18 weeks of student teaching experience,” King said. “To learn alongside a professional that has been in the career, knows all the ins and outs, has skill sets and strategies to work with students – to have that benefit of working alongside somebody like that for four years, you’re much, much better prepared.”
Given these promises, teacher apprenticeships have recently exploded nationwide — 45 states have brought programs online in the last few years. They vary widely in their funding approaches and in the costs to districts and students. States have often looked to Tennessee, the country’s first program, as a standout model. The state’s program, launched in 2020, now helps fund 600 new teacher trainees annually at no cost to the apprentices.
Enticing schools a challenge
In his Foundations of Reading class last fall, Jacobson learned about phonological and phonemic awareness, or the ability to recognize distinct parts of a word — a key skill for learning how to read. Using what he learned, he started running his own reading support group for students needing extra help.
“The second you learn something, I don’t have to wait two years before I actually apply that knowledge to my job,” Jacobson said. “No, I’m applying it that same day or the next day, which then makes it stick a lot more.”
The program gets high marks from trainees and schools. So why aren’t more signing up?
Money. Both school districts and apprentices are struggling to afford it.
The four districts that already have apprentices are waiting until their current students graduate to decide whether to add more, Abbott said.
“I want to stress that the apprenticeship model itself remains available to all school employers in the state who wish to adopt it,” Abbott said. “It comes down to finding partners.”
But getting more of Wisconsin’s 400-plus districts to bite has been difficult.
Sorensen, the Fox Valley Tech dean, said the college isn’t seeing interest from districts because many are contending with too-tight budgets. School leaders have long argued the state’s funding system hasn’t kept up with rising costs, which, as Wisconsin Watch recently reported, has resulted in a recent wave of school closures, layoffs and budget cuts.
That’s made it hard for districts to pay for the hours when trainees are in college, and not working in the classroom.
“It’s challenging for school districts to be able to build in that release time. We did hear that, and that’s really understandable,” said Dena Constantineau, Waukesha County Tech’s associate dean of education and human services. “I mean, they really rely on their people, and so they need them in the classroom.”
Even with the discount from the federal grant, tuition can be costly. For example, the average annual tuition costs at least $5,900 for the technical college portion and about $6,000 for UW-Whitewater at Rock County. That means the leftover cost to apprentices could still be upwards of $12,000.
Plus, the federal funds that helped launch the pilot run out next March, so there could be even less tuition assistance for future apprentices.
The Appleton Area School District would love to put more students into the program, “if there was funding” to entice participants, King said. The district couldn’t afford to give students more tuition assistance, which hampered participation.
“The unknown for us moving forward is there is no state funding. If there’s other opportunities for that tuition relief for the individual, that’s really what entices people to engage in that program,” King said.
“The question on the future really is, ‘Where is the funding and the structures going to be in the future to make sure that it’s a viable option moving forward?’” King said. “‘That it reduces the financial barrier? That it’s accessible?’”
Miranda Dunlap reports on pathways to success in northeast Wisconsin, working in partnership with Open Campus. Find her on Instagram and Twitter, or send her an email at mdunlap@wisconsinwatch.org.
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – The Wisconsin Department of Transportation Division of Motor Vehicles announced on Thursday it revoked the licenses for eight wholesale dealers throughout Wisconsin.
The DMV Dealer and Agent Section determined that the dealers violated state law when they failed to maintain a dealer bond.
The following dealers had their licenses revoked:
Located at 101 Skyline Drive #1 Arlington:
- Alpha Motorworks Inc.
- Slick One Auto Sales LLC.
Located at 1645 North Spring Street #210 in Beaver Dam:
- Point B Auto LLC
- Aurum Lane Auto Group LLC
- Turbo Motor Vehicles LLC
Located at N5876 US Highway #12 in Elkhorn:
- Empire General Motors Inc.
- Culture Motorsports LLC
Located at 6830 West Villard Avenue #170 in Milwaukee
The decision to revoke these licenses was confirmed by hearing examiner on April 17.
Following a 30-day appeal period, the revocations became final on May 17.
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Copyright 2026 WMTV. All rights reserved.
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