Wisconsin State Fair Park

innovated to increase recycling within their organizations. “At the Fair Park, recycling is a huge initiative of ours,” says Director of Public Affairs, Kristin Chuckel. “In 2018, we recycled around 400,000 lbs. (or 200 tons). And, this year, we are adding 400 new recycling receptacles throughout the Fair Park. Our goal is to have a recycling receptacle right next to every trash receptacle throughout the 200 acres.” Non-Fair recycling contributed approximately 40 additional tons of recycled materials that, again, are diverted from landfills. A large portion of this total is contributed by the recycling of cardboard using the cardboard baler in the Wisconsin Exposition Center. Another recycling effort that is not included in the overall total of material is the recycling of pallets. Through cooperation with its pallet recycling vendor, the Park recycles hundreds of pallets that are left over from fair and non-fair events. “We’re also really proud of a project that we took on a couple of years ago,” Chuckel continues. “There’s a bike trail that runs through the Fair Park – the Hank Aaron Trail. It’s very heavily used for bike traffic, but the part that is running through State Fair Park was somewhat neglected. We decided to adopt that stretch and our staff volunteered their time to clean up that trail and add some fair ‘character’ to the stretch. We’ve improved the gate access to the trail, and, for people who do want to ride their bikes to the Fair, we’ve created bike parking lots and promote both of these as ‘Pedal to the Park.’” Being over a hundred years old, maintenance and upkeep of the Fair Park is hugely important. In 2002, when the Exposition Center was built, there were several other construction projects that took place as part of a multi-million-dollar Master Plan, including the building a of a new entrance gate off of I-94, and renovations to the dairy cattle barn, one of the Park’s most historic facilities. “All of that took place in 2002,” O’Leary reports. “But for the last several years, it’s been a lot