No one can deny that State Fair is THE food stick festival.

But just because Summerfest boasts dozens and dozens of national bands on its many stages each year, doesn't mean that it isn't also keeping an eye on stick trends in outdoor festival dining.

There are a number of vendors at the Big Gig dishing up delights on sticks of all kinds.

You can sample shish-ka-bobs at Greek Village near the Big Backyard and in the Ethnic Village on the north end of the grounds, for example, and there are corn dogs to be had at Major Goolsby's at the Big Backyard and at Martino's, located near the PlayZone and on the Marcus Amphitheater concourse.

There are also less typical options, like the snappy gator on a stick at Crawdaddy's at the Big Backyard and lasagne sticks marinara at Angelo's near the Roadhouse stage.

Sabor, near the children's PlayZone and theater area, dishes up garlic grilled beef on skewers, too. And we have photographic evidence that OnMilwaukee.com's Molly Snyder has enjoyed a pickle on a stick at Summerfest, though her memory is sketchy on its provenance.

But if you broaden your image of what constitutes a stick – think of nature's own sticks – you can add the turkey legs on offer at the Charcoal Grill near the Harley Roadhouse and corn on the cob at Anderson's near the Oasis and PlayZone areas, and Robby's, which has a number of locations, including on the far south end at the Classic Rock Stage and also at the Big Backyard.

Perhaps the tastiest of all options at Summerfest, however, are the stick-shaped foods, like the incomparable mozzarella marinara at Saz's at the Miller Lite Oasis and Saz's Express near the PlayZone; the eggplant strips at the Venice Club, adjacent to the Harley Roadhouse; and the fried zucchini sticks at Mille's in the Ethnic Village on the north end.

It'd be pretty easy to insert a stick through most of these, too.

And, don't forget: Edwardo's has bread sticks in Ethnic Village on the north end and Oakland Trattoria offers them on the south end in the Marcus Amphitheater forecourt.

Maybe next year, the food researchers and technicians will have perfected a martini on a stick for JoJo's, reuben rolls on a stick for the Usinger's Wurst Garden, pretzels on a stick for Auntie Anne's and frozen root beer on a stick that can be sold out of the many root beer barrels.

Those seem like almost like gimmes, no?