Making the Midway at the Door County Fair

As fair goers flock to John Miles County Park in Sturgeon Bay this weekend, they’ll see the Ferris wheel, maybe get a funnel cake, or try to knock down some milk bottles with a baseball.

What they don’t see are the hours of work the crew of Mr. Ed’s Magical Midway invests assembling the equipment, operating rides, and dismantling the temporary main street after five days of fun.

For more than five years the North Freedom, Wi. company has brought its attractions to the Door County Fair, said fair Secretary Donna Henderson.

“There aren’t that many carnival businesses left in Wisconsin, so for us to go with someone else, we’d have to get into their rotation, and that’s very difficult,” Henderson said.

Henderson said the company has always provided excellent service to the fair. Mr. Ed’s crew works furiously to transform the John Miles County Park into a children’s dreamland, according to Lisa Weiland, office manager for Mr. Ed’s Magical Midway. The group arrived in Sturgeon Bay Monday night and immediately marked where each ride and vendor would set up, Weiland said.

The crew of about 45 people then moves 32 trucks into place. The next day, workers erect the towering rides, canopies and game booths before the fair’s opening Wednesday night.

The Door County Fair is one of 10 fairs Mr. Ed’s Magical Midway travels to. Since July 4 they’ve traveled to fairs in Jefferson, La Crosse, Green and Polk counties. They’ll continue to travel across the state to fairs until mid-September, Weiland said.

The rides have been refurbished over the years, some more than others. Most rides are refurbished every few years. The tilt-a-whirl has been revamped the most, but Weiland said its strong steel body has kept it in good shape.

“It’s one of the original pieces, but it never really changed much,” she said. “It’s a strong, sturdy piece of steel.”

Once the fair is over, it takes the crew about 4 – 6 hours to dismantle everything before they hit the road for Ellsworth and the Pierce County Fair, which starts Aug. 11.

What they take with them though, Weiland said, are the smiles of the people left behind them.

“That’s the best part that everybody does this job for – watching the smiling faces,” she said. “Seeing the kids smile reminds [the workers] of when they were kids.”