The Appleton Post-Crescent

August 20, 1982

At 89, Frank Haffner Will Go To "His" Fair

By Mickey Paschke

Post-Crescent correspondent

WEYAUWEGA – The 109^th annual Waupaca County Fair will be dedicated to octogenarian Frank Haffner, who has been a fair-goer for 84 years. He will be honored on senior citizen’s day, Aug. 28.

The fair will open here Wednesday and continue to Aug. 30.

Haffner, who will be 89 this fall, was born in the Town of Weyauwega and lived on the farm until 1973. He served as a horse judge throughout the state for 15 years and as secretary of the Waupaca County Fair for nine years.

According to Haffner, who is a local history buff, Judge M.H. Ogden of Ogdensburg and C.M. Churchill, a Waupaca businessman, organized the first fair in the summer of 1873 and staged it at the intersection of Royalton and Churchill streets in Waupaca. Haffner’s father, August, exhibited his stallion that year, but, in general, the fair featured mostly farm produce.

Plans to conduct a farmer’s fair the next year proved unsuccessful, but the decision to discontinue the event did not meet with general approval.

Some county citizens who wanted to organize a farmers’ agricultural fair called a meeting for Sept. 14, 1874, in Weyauwega.

The group voted to organize an Agricultural Society "having for its object the promotion of agriculture-horticulture-domestic manufactures and mechanical arts, and cordially invite all person interested therein to unite with us." Anyone could become a member by paying $1.

Early in October, the group began planning a fair. George Taggart, Weyauwega, and W.A. Springer, Fremont, who received the names of prospective members, reported 100 applicants, including 17 life memberships at $10.

The first officers were J. Baxter, Lind, president; E. Mather, Royalton, vice president; E.W. Browne, Waupaca, recording secretary; and F.W. Sackett, Weyauwega, corresponding secretary. All town chairmen in the county were named to the executive board.

Members voted to have a fair Oct. 15 and 16, 1874, on land in Weyauwega leased from William Rease. This first fairgrounds is now the site of the elementary and high school buildings. The 1874 premium list featured nine division and 163 types of exhibits, specifying that all entries be produced, made or raised in Waupaca County.

Haffner has delved deep into the past to uncover the story of the fair. Some of his work was inadvertently made easier by the late A.J. Rieck, former fair secretary, who gave Haffner a pack of books and papers to haul to the dump. Instead, he stored the material in his garage. The cache included cash account books form 1900, old premium books, copes of resolutions and secretaries’ reports, all of which proved invaluable when Haffner began writing a history of the fair.

The fair was moved to its present location in 1875 when the association purchased land east of Oakwood Cemetery and north of South Street from the Carpenter farm. Acquisition of the Meiklejohn property in 1922 extended the grounds to Sumner Street.

Harness racing had been a highlight of the fair almost since its inception. The popularity of the races led to larger fairgrounds, succeedingly larger grandstands and what was considered the finest half-mile track in the state. But as racing’s appeal waned, fair officials looked to the newer interest of youth to remedy the situation.

One reason for poor attendance was that spectators in the uncovered grandstand got too warm on sunny days. Another factor was the smaller purses offered in Wisconsin, which failed to attract the best horses. Legalized betting in bordering states produced higher stakes and more entries. So the harness races were replaced by demolition derbies and motorcycle thrill shows.

In the early years, entries were open to the residents of Waupaca County and the six adjoining counties. Now they are limited to Waupaca and Waushara counties and the Town of Wolf River in Winnebago County.

Open-class entries have kept pace with the times. The youth fair continues to expand and categories were added over the years. More and more city children know the excitement of the fair as 4-H clubs open their doors to urban neighbors.

Haffner remembers the old-time fairs with fondness. "In the early days, people came to the fair with horse and wagon. Pa, Ma and the kids piled in and brought some neighbors along to make a big day of it. A merry-go-round was about the only ride on the grounds and this was pulled around by a horse."

Social changes have left their mark on the fair. The once-popular picnics are decreasing, replaced by the numerous stands on the midway, where one can grab a bite on the run. The stalls where one can test one’s skills and the varied rides are proving more attractive than the leisurely pace of a picnic and a snooze under the trees, Haffner noted.

The rural nature of the county is reflected by the variety of commercial exhibits and the still-effective drawing power of country programs, which now are interspersed with youth attractions.

The first entertainment on record at the fair was by a local family group, the Stiers. After 1908, vaudeville acts were featured and in 1916, when lights were added, night entertainment began. Tractor-pulling contests, home talent shows and country-western groups have proved popular with fair-goers over the years.

And Haffner has fond memories of all of them.