OSHKOSH, Wis. — The dairy barn on a warm afternoon is just where Lizzy Parker wants to be in early August.

What You Need To Know

  • The Winnebago County Fair is back in 2021 after a hiatus for COVID-19 in 2020

  • It runs through Sunday and includes entertainment, a midway and animal exhibits

  • Tickets are $15 at the gate​

It’s the first day of the Winnebago County Fair in Oshkosh and she’s tending to her animals.

“I’m glad to be here, except I wish there was fair last year because, well, I love to show animals here,” said Parker, who is from Winneconne.

That holds true even if cooperation is sometimes hard to come by.

“It’s a little frustrating during show time because they’ll get get rambunctious or won’t move,” Parker said.

The Winnebago County fair kicked off Wednesday after a one-year hiatus for the pandemic. The people on the fairgrounds at the Sunnyview Expo Center is what Jodie Weyland has waited months to see.

“This is a huge deal. There was so much disappointment when COVID cancelled our plans for the in-person fair, and we had to move a lot of projects virtually,” she said. “This year exhibitors are very excited to be in person and being able to connect with the local communities.”

Weyland is also the winner of the 2021 "Fairest of the Fair" title.

“I’ve been looking forward before my election date in April,” she said.

Parker is also looking forward to the dairy formal on Friday.

“I get to dress up my calf and all that stuff,” she said.