By Matt Mueller Culture Editor Published Jun 23, 2020 at 5:06 PM Photography: Molly Snyder

You may have canceled the Wisconsin State Fair this year, coronavirus, but there's one part you can't destroy: the cream puff.

The State Fair announced today that it will serve up its most iconic snack at select locations throughout the state from Aug. 6-16, the original dates of this year's now-scrapped festival.

These pop-up oases of fluffy cream puff relief are a part of the State Fair's new "State Fair Necessities" program, bringing beloved treats and traditions from the temporarily shelved summer celebration to fans across the state even though there is no actual fair this year. 

"At the core of our State Fair mission, we are built upon celebrating everything Wisconsin is so proud to showcase," said Kathleen O’Leary, Wisconsin State Fair Park CEO, in a press release. "While we can’t gather this year for the 169th Wisconsin State Fair due to the safety issues surrounding COVID-19, we want to safely offer select Fair staples, otherwise known as the State Fair Necessities. We will kick off the State Fair Necessities with the iconic signature food of the Wisconsin State Fair, the Original Cream Puff, as we just couldn’t imagine a year without them."

So you can you find these coves of cream puff goodness? For one, Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, of course, where the delicious desserts – whether in a three-pack for $12 or a six-pack for $22 – will be available via curbside pick-up on Aug. 6-9 and Aug. 13-16 from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday. Packs of brownies and chocolate chip cookies as well as merchandise will also be available to purchase; for the full menu, visit the website

If you can't make it over to the fairgrounds, however, the Wisconsin State Fair cream puffs will also hit the road, making three stops across three days on Monday, Aug. 10 through Wednesday, Aug. 12. From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., the traveling cream puffs will be available at these three Festival Foods grocery store spots:

  • Monday, Aug. 10 – 6000 31st St. in Kenosha
  • Tuesday, Aug. 11 – 1200 W. Northland Ave. in Appleton
  • Wednesday, Aug. 12 – 660 Hometown Circle in Verona

The State Fair will also offer corporate cream puff deliveries for businesses wanting to treat their colleagues during this time as well. For more information on order requirements and more, visit State Fair's website

And if all this talk of tasty treats is making you feel full, there's also the healthiest cream puff there is: the Cream Puff 5k, hosted virtually this year with participants able to run or walk their approximately 3.1 miles wherever they like. Online registration is open now through July 30; for more information, visit the Cream Puff 5k's website

And stay tuned to OnMilwaukee for more updates on new "State Fair Necessities" coming your way this summer. Here's to live-streamed pig races coming up next!

Matt Mueller Culture Editor

As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.

When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.