Wisconsin State Fair vendors look back at 2025 historic flood
Vendors recall historic State Fair flooding
State Fair vendors reflected on the historic August 2025 floods that forced a rare cancellation. The flooding set a 24-hour Wisconsin state record with some locations seeing over a foot of rain.
WEST ALLIS, Wis. - For over 30 years, Joseph Goddard has been a staple under the grandstand at the Wisconsin State Fair. With decades worth of memories, he said 2025 will always stand out.
"I’ve never heard of a fair being shut down, any fair that I’ve been to over the last 38 years," Goddard said.
From Aug. 9 through Aug. 10, flooding totals in Milwaukee reached a 24-hour state record. FOX weather experts said rainfall rates were estimated at one to three inches per hour over several hours. Some spots across southeast Wisconsin surpassed a foot of rain.
The historic flooding eventually led State Fair organizers to cancel the final day of the fair.
"You get storms, lightning, you get warnings and got to take cover, but they don’t shut down a fair. To shut down a fair, that’s got to be pretty extreme," Goddard said.
"We were amped up for the last day because it’s part of the schedule, it’s the victory lap before the closing," Kevin Trzaska said. Trzaska is known as "The Fan Man in the Grandstand."
"It was just crazy, it was pouring rain, everybody was running around in here," Trzaska said. "When we rolled in here, everything was flooded. Garbage floating down, everything."
Vendors said last year's weather made them appreciate the sunny days even more.
"We were disappointed, but you can’t fight Mother Nature. Mother Nature won," Trzaska said.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from Joseph Goddard, Hands Unlimited, Kevin Trzaska, The Fan Man in the Grandstand, FOX weather experts, State Fair organizers and FOX6 News.