It will be aimed at staying open for business at least three seasons each year, officials said. As the grandstand is rebuilt, a new park area will be created to replace the existing mix of independent vendor buildings in the center of the fairgrounds. Finally, a new amphitheater is planned for the area near the existing Wisconsin Products Pavilion. Rosenzweig said she believed her constituents and people across the state would be impressed with the changes. But the plans have several longtime vendors nervous about the future of their businesses and fearing an overall loss of identity for the park.
Architects have visions and people who plan.
Thompson said he believed most people would welcome the fair's upgrades - which he envisions to someday include educational centers on Wisconsin history, agriculture and lessons on the state's beer industry. Thompson added that now was the time for the changes. I'm ending up my career, and I love the fair. Appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Aug. 9, 2000. Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved.