August 10, 2020 at 2:30 p.m.
Virtual county fair garners positive feedback
Sprecksel: 'It's exceeded our goals'
Virtual county fair garners positive feedback
By Stephanie Kuski-
Rather than cancel event, organizers decided to get creative and launch a virtual fair starting July 9.
The Virtual Fair has taken off by leaps and bounds since its opening ceremony with a variety of events, contests and demonstrations taking place every week through the end of August.
According to fair coordinator Tom Barnett, the concept of a Virtual Fair was not initially welcomed with open arms.
"It started off with a lot of negativity," Barnett explained. "We just took it on the chin and moved ahead with what we planned on doing, because we thought any fair - even a virtual one - is better than no fair at all."
"With the negative comments that started us off through all this, I have to admit I was a little nervous that it wasn't going to be a success at all," he continued. "But that changed after the first few posts, because we got so much positive feedback after people started seeing what we're actually trying to do."
As the fair passes its midway point, Barnett and OCF Treasurer Meg Sprecksel said the virtual format is turning out to be better than they had initially imagined.
"It's exceeded our goals," Sprecksel commented.
Barnett said he's received particularly good comments about the History in Oneida County segment, a weekly beat sponsored by The Hodag Store and hosted by Pioneer Park Historical Complex (PPHC) Director Kerry Bloedorn, who has tackled an array of local history topics in his weekly installments.
"I'm really proud that's taking off," Barnett commented, "and I knew Kerry would be the guy to do it."
"That's definitely my favorite part," Sprecksel added. "I think it's something to look forward to, something to get excited about."
In addition to Bloedorn's beat, Barnett and Sprecksel agreed that the Sexiest Mens Legs in a Kilt (SLIK) Contest was also a success. Interested participants submitted photos featuring their kilts and calves for virtual fair goers to vote on, then the top three battled live for the coveted SLIK belt. The finalists were Devin Biggs, Jeff Prout and Jake Nitzel. Prout took home the belt after a panel of judges (including yours truly) voted on the sexiest legs.
The Pets of Oneida County post and Find Ollie Oneida scavenger hunt have also garnered significant virtual participation, the duo added. Barnett said their visit to Wildwood Zoo in Minocqua was also a success, considering they were able to establish a new connection with a local business that hasn't been able to participate in the fair in the past.
Another exciting event that was streamed live on July 31 via Facebook was a Paranormal Investigation featuring Sprecksel and a local paranormal investigative group based in Rhinelander called EVP (or Entity Ventures Paranormal).
The group visited the PPHC after hours with a myriad of tools and equipment that measures paranormal activity. This event was also interactive, since viewers watching from home could comment on the live stream to ask questions and make observations. (That video and others are still available for viewing on OCF's media platforms.)
Sprecksel said the tools picked up the most paranormal activity in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Museum and Duke's Outboard Motor and Boat Museum. She added that seeing PPHC lit up at night and having Bloedorn pop in from time to time to add historical tidbits added an extra layer to an already exciting evening.
"It was definitely really interesting," she said. "I did hear one sound that kind of freaked me out when we were in the CCC building. It was like a shuffling, like when you run into a table... That was a little hair-raising for me."
As the group collected hours of footage and audio to evaluate, EVP will follow up with more results of their investigation via their Facebook page, so be sure to follow them to stay tuned.
While many off-the-wall events, demonstrations and contests have already taken place, there is still more fun to be had in the weeks ahead.
"There's a lot of variety in the events we're doing," Sprecksel commented. "We love that people are getting involved and embracing it."
Bloedorn's history segment will continue throughout the remainder of the fair with new installments featured every Saturday. New clues for the location of Ollie Oneida for the weekly scavenger hunt will also be released every Tuesday on the fair's media platforms.
Information regarding video submissions for the Talent Show was released Aug. 7. Virtual fair goers will have the opportunity to vote by liking their favorite videos beginning Aug. 21. From those votes, the top three finalists will be chosen to perform live on the last day of the fair for the grand prize.
On Aug. 13, winners of the Fun Factory Guessing Game will be announced, in which patrons had to guess the number of candies in a jar.
Aug. 14 is 4H Day, where children and young adults can show off their projects by submitting photos of their crafts.
On Aug. 20, OCF Vice President Bill Freudenberg will visit the Oneida County Beekeepers Association.
On Aug. 27, Potlicker will host a live chainsaw carving demonstration.
The last day of the fair will be Aug. 28. The top Talent Show contestants will perform live and a panel of judges will announce the grand prize winner at the closing ceremony.
All of these events, demonstrations and contests are meant to be interactive and participatory, Barnett added. Many of these events also incorporate aspects of the fair that have been around since its inception, such as 4H, but have since been replaced with the glitz and glamour of the fair's carnival and rides.
"We're trying to incorporate things you would normally see at the fair and put them virtually, and also add things you normally wouldn't see at the fair," Barnett explained. "Keeping with tradition, yet expanding on the new."
Local businesses are also participating by offering a variety of fair foods at their respective establishments. Some of the participating businesses include Briar House, A'la Mode, Butcher Shop Bake Company, Northern Grounds Coffeehouse, Backwaters Bar & Grill, CT's Deli, Dan's Minocqua Fudge and Minocqua Popcorn.
"It's all about reaching out and getting further," Sprecksel added. "We want to be able to bring in more vendors next year. We want to have a more inclusive Oneida County participation."
It was also noted that this year's fair has been beneficial in a variety of ways, since not having a physical fair has allowed time for the OCF committee to reflect and strategize for future fairs.
By that design, OCF has been able to not only maintain and strengthen established connections with local community sponsors and businesses, but also create new connections and explore new ways to stay connected with the community in the midst of COVID-19.
"One of the biggest goals of the Virtual Fair was to include all of Oneida County and not just the people of Rhinelander," Sprecksel added. "So we've done a really good job of stretching out and making sure other cities in Oneida County are part of our fair."
Barnett added that his hope is to incorporate some virtual aspects of this year's fair into future fairs.
"No matter what happens, when we bring the fair back there's going to be a whole lot of new aspects to it that are going to be added that we've learned from this Virtual Fair," Barnett said. "Not only was this fun for us and something unique for our community, but it was also a learning process and an idea generator."
He said his hope is that the energy cultivated from this year' event will continue in the years to come.
But in order to bring that dream to fruition, OCF is seeking monetary support from community members.
Rather than soliciting local sponsorships from businesses struggling in the midst of the pandemic, Barnett said OCF is asking individuals to donate via their media platforms.
"You can see why we can't possibly go to local businesses given the current situation... It just wouldn't be right," Barnett commented. "Being a small business owner myself, we're all taking a big hit this year... It's a situation we're trying to get through and hoping we'll keep our head above water for next year."
Links to donate to OCF are available on their various media platforms.
In addition, Barnett said there's a plan to host a 24-hour telethon to raise funds for OCF.
For more information on the virtual fair, follow the Oneida County Fair on Facebook and Youtube, or visit its website at ocfairwi.com.
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