Faire on the Square Downtown Baraboo - Review

May 17th, 2010 |

Saturday’s Faire on the Square event certainly seemed more organized than in years past. Almost quiet to some extent. In fact I was a little surprised that it’s been reported as one of the best attended in the history of the event. Maybe. But if I had to guess I’d have thought numbers were a bit down compared to past years. It was certainly mellow. Having a child, it stood out this year that there were rarely lines to kid’s favorites such as the bounce house or the pony rides. Even getting food seemed to be a much quicker task than in the past. Of course that’s the thing about perceptions or estimates. It’s really anyone’s guess. (The local paper reported 8,000 to 10,000 visitors.)

Regardless of headcount, numbers are not always the most important measure of an event such as this. Not for the people who simply come to enjoy the day anyway. By that measure, the spring Faire on the Square was a winner. There was a wide variety of artwork and crafts on display. (see our flickr gallery for more) The farm market was hopping as usual. We saw quite a few people loading up on tomato plants for their gardens!

The new kid’s shows were a hit. A juggling performance was given by TJ Howell who regular attendees of the Tommy Bartlett show will recognize. TJ always manages to keep audiences engaged and certainly Saturday was no different. Tristan Crist followed with a well timed and entertaining magic show that actually held the video game generation’s attention.

The Karate demo had high volume Matrix soundtrack music echoing off the courthouse walls. I couldn’t help but note that not all that long ago music like that would have never have been tolerated on the city courthouse lawn! (And certainly not at that volume!) Although we have a child in karate and see the demos more times than we can count each year, it’s still fun to see the new kids coming up and the others advance. Having the opportunity to show off their skills helps the kids gain confidence. It’s great to see the community show their support. (Even if the demos occasionally get a bit long.)

This year’s belly dancing performance kicked off with a bit of spooky choreography that had dancers moving through the crowds from the far corners of the square dancing to a slightly haunting rhythm. It was something of a mix between a zombie flick, I Dream of Jeanie, and a Peter Gabriel concert I attended back in the 80s.

If I had one critique, it would be with the food vendors. Every year in seems a majority of these folks find new ways to make it harder to get your food to a place to sit in tact. We struggle to carry thin, over-loaded, paper plates while dropping piled high, fries and curds everywhere. Even our drinks this year came in barley stable paper cups without covers! First you drop $20 or more on lunch, then hope you don’t drop.. your lunch. You’d think by now the folks selling food at these events would take a couple lessons from fast-food vendors when it comes to packaging. Luckily this is a circus town filled with people who have a good sense of balance and a talent for juggling! (well, maybe not..)

Other than that one minor issue with food packaging, the Faire on the Square was a fun event and a credit to the new organizers. It will be fun to see what they do with the fall event.

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