There is a pile of foul-smelling laundry on my patio right now. My body aches. I'm exhausted and I'm fairly sure there is a layer of dirt on my body which will never come off.

And so ends another year of moonlighting at the Wisconsin State Fair.

Sometime today, Fair officials will announce the final stats, figures and numbers. In the meantime, there are a few thoughts I want to share while they're still fresh in my head.

It's all about "Ag" – I can't help but laugh now when I think of my first Fair (on the job, that is), eight years ago when I didn't know the difference between hay and straw (it's a big difference). I'm pretty sure my boss wanted to strangle me for my lack of an ag background but I'm pretty proud of what I've learned so far. Loose heifer in the cattle barn? No problem. Find a halter, slip it on and tie her back up. Cowpie in the middle of my path? Whatever, it'll wash off. I was pretty naive when this all started. I knew from where my milk ultimately came but I never gave a thought to the effort and investment required to put food on my table. "Foodies" like to talk about organic this and grass-fed that, but if you really want to "eat local," take a ride through the country and chat up a farmer.

Hidden value – I know everybody has their own Fair traditions and the daily schedule is full of all kinds of special events and attractions. For my money, though, the single best attraction at the Fair isn't listed in the daily schedule, it isn't promoted and it isn't actually any kind of organized event. During the final weekend of the Fair – while the open class beef shows take place – exhibitors lineup near the north end of the grandstand to walk their cattle out to the infield, where they are tied out for the night. Pedestrian traffic comes to a stop for this mini-cattle drive and it's a sight to behold, especially when you catch a glimpse of the looks on children's faces as the cattle come by. For many city kids, like myself, this is the closest they'll ever get to seeing these animals up close and personal and it's quickly become my No. 1 recommendation to any fairgoer.

Safety first – The incident on opening night obviously caused quite a stir and fortunately for everyone, things stayed quiet the rest of the way. Still, I was left unsettled for the next few days. I wasn't fearful of a repeat, but I was upset with the way the incident made my neighborhood look. I grew up just two blocks from State Fair Park and never once have I ever felt like I was unsafe. I felt obligated to tell those people how great it was growing up around there and hopefully they'll realize the actions of a few idiots shouldn't be used to cast judgement on a part of town that's already the butt of way too many jokes.

Indiana – A yearly tradition in the Agriculture Department is to take a trip up to the roof of the Milwaukee Mile grandstand. The view is breathtaking and it's one of the things I most look forward to each year. This year, however, the trip was somewhat humbling. Not long before we made our way up, we learned about the tragic stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair. We were gathered around a computer, watching the coverage live. It was scary. It was sad. It was painful. I don't know how you move on from something like that, but ultimately, the show must go on. I had been contemplating a trip to the Indiana Fair next weekend. Now, I'm not so sure.