A booklet from the 1924 Northern Wisconsin State Fair, courtesy of the Chippewa County Historical Society.

With the Northern Wisconsin State Fair on hold this summer because of COVID-19, we’ve all got a little more time to reminisce about Ferris wheels, funnel cakes, and 4-H displays from years past.

If you’re in the mood to reminisce about your fun, interesting, or unusual experiences from the Northern Wisconsin State Fair’s 123-year history, the Chippewa County Historical Society wants to hear from you.

“Did you meet your gal or guy at the Fair? Did your goat or your pie win Grand Prize, or did your nephew take a tumble during the pedal tractor pull? Did you get a chance to meet one of the Main Stage acts, or maybe Alice in Dairyland?” the historical society asked in a news release. “Your remembrances can be as short as a paragraph or two. If you have a photo, CCHS would love it if you’d include a photo of that moment or that day – or of the person submitting the information.”

Submissions will be added to the historical society’s archives, and some will be included in a new pictorial history book about the fair, which will be published late this year. The book will be available by Christmas, and proceeds will benefit the Area History Center Capital Campaign, the historical society says. Two previous books (Lake Wissota – The Dam Story and Irvine Park – The Bear Facts) have helped raised more than $38,000 for the building project.

You can submit your fair memories to: Area History Center, 123 Allen St., Chippewa Falls, WI 54729. If you send photos, please indicate if you would like them returned (in which case the historic society will scan them and return the originals to you) or if you want them made part of the history center’s collection.

Learn more about the Chippewa County Historical Society on its website or Facebook page.