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Isabella Kostolni ikostolni@conleynet.com 262-513-2651 WAUKESHA – After decades of volunteering at the Waukesha County Fair, Mike and Sue Wollenzien's dedication is finally being recognized with the title of 2023 Fair Marshals. The humble couple didn't initially want the attention that came with the title, as they'd rather be lending a hand. "We tried to get out of it," Sue joked. "We'd rather be working than showing ourselves off." "Fair marshal means we must have done good. It feels good to be picked for it, even though we didn't want to. It shows they recognize what we've done for so many years," Mike added. During Mike's more than 30 years with the fair and Sue's more than 20, the couple has held many posi- tions. They've been Friends of the Fair, superintendents and judging clerks. The Wollenziens are ded- icated to keeping the annu- al event running smoothly. Each year, Mike and Sue are the first people setting up and, when the fair con- cludes, are the last ones on the grounds cleaning up. "We go down to the barn, we load some trailers up, we haul everything down and we bring it to the build- ings," Mike said. "Then we set it all up, each area they need to set up. Then we go back on Sunday night at 7 p.m. when they close. We take it all down and bring it all back up and store it again up in the barn." In addition to their set-up and clean-up duties, the Wollenziens also keep an eye out for the ways in which the fair can run more smoothly. Together, they noticed that some of the displays were cumbersome. So, the couple built new ones. "They were using metal grids to hang stuff on. We built some screens out of 1x2's and chicken wire so they can hang things up on them. It's really a lot lighter than the metal grids," Sue said. "We also built the shelving units for the open class foods and cake deco- rating." "We looked at some of the stuff they had that was so heavy and we thought about how to make it lighter," Mike added. "We wanted to find a way to make stuff that made it a lot easier for all the people that need to carry stuff around." When asked how they developed these designs, Sue explained that the cre- ative side of her brain took over. "It was just my mind going nuts," she said. "I just thought it up." When it comes to their favorite part of the Wauke- sha County Fair, Sue and Mike agreed that it's the people who make the event worthwhile. "We made a lot of friends there," Sue said. Mike finds satisfaction in seeing all the young com- petitors show off their entries in the various cate- gories. "I like a lot of the expressions on the kids' faces when you look at the stuff they did," he said. "It's just amazing, the way that the kids are so young and how they explain it to you how they did it." "They're really proud of what they do," Sue added. Looking forward, the Wollenziens don't antici- pate putting an end to their volunteering anytime soon. "I just hope the fair keeps going, because it's been there for a long time. And we want to keep it going," Mike said. "And as long as I can keep going, I'll keep going." WAUKESHA COUNTY FAIR The FREEMAN & ENTERPRISE 2 JULY 2023 Wollenziens named 2023 fair marshals Have helped with fair setup, events for decades Mike and Sue Wollenzien