By Gloria Hafemeister for the Daily Times
Thursday, May 22, 2008 12:28 PM CDT
WEST ALLIS - A group of 25 John Hustis Elementary School fifth-grade students assisted Wisconsin State Fair officials bury two time capsules Wednesday morning in West Allis.
The time capsules were buried as a part of the official groundbreaking for the grand champion patio which is comprised of bricks purchased by the public with personalized messages commemorating a special occasion or favorite fair memory.
Funds from the brick purchases will be directed to the Wisconsin State Fair Park Youth Foundation and will be placed around the fountain in central mall on the fairgrounds.
The groundbreaking event was held in conjunction with the annual planting day, sponsored in part by Fiskars Garden Center and Outdoor Living who provided the students with bright orange T-shirts and tools for the occasion.
State Fair Park's historian Jerry Zimmerman said the 1992 capsule contained newspaper accounts of the fair, a Garth Brooks CD and other fair memorabilia. âWhen it was buried in 1992 we had no intention of removing it from its original site until 2092 when the fair park will be 200 years old,â he said. âThe removal became necessary in 2001, however, to make way for the construction of the Wisconsin Exposition Center.â
A letter from Zimmerman explaining why there are two time capsules, together with a fair history booklet, â150 Years of Wisconsin State Fair - An Illustrated History - 1851-2001â is also included in the newer capsule.
Both capsules will now remain under the grand champion patio until 2092.
The Central Mall Fountain was built in 1961, the first year the permanent midway was removed,â Zimmerman said. âIt was an open fountain until the âhippie' generation decided it was a great place to congregate. The fountain was turned into a flower bed giving new meaning to âflower power' and remained as such until it was rediscovered in the 1990s and returned to a fountain.â
Steve Sazama, chairman of the youth foundation, said the brick sale is a way of honoring the memories of fairs while helping to support youth programs. He pointed out the Tommy Thompson Youth Center houses over 4,000 youths who are participating in events and showing livestock during the fair each year and it is also used by the Kids from Wisconsin for practices and by youths partaking in other educational events.
Mary Beth Carr, executive director of the Wisconsin State Fair Park Youth Foundation, said this slice of fair history and the time capsule will be the theme of the grand champion patio dedication on July 30, just prior to the start of the 2008 fair.
UW Rock County hosted a 40 participant Jr. Master Gardener Session. During this sessionthey used our tools and some where even raffled off to participants. The session was led by Master Gardeners as part of an ongoing lecture series for future Master Gardeners. Participants in this pasrticular session ranged in age from 12-18. Photographed here is Kody. He has extremely low vision and is legally blind, he loved the snips, here he's using them to dead head tulips. 
