'Everybody here is sweaty': State fair goers find ways to keep cool

WEST ALLIS, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Sweltering days like Friday at the Wisconsin State Fair don't come as a surprise, but they still put a strain on the various beings on the fairgrounds.

Temperatures into the 90s meant people were coming and going from first aid stations at State Fair Park. There was a steady stream of traffic at water fountains on the grounds, and plenty of people ducked into the air conditioned buildings for a reprieve.

"I'm trying the best I can. I just came from inside, so it's pretty cool in there," Xavier Foreman of Milwaukee said. "Came back out here, the sun hit me in the face."

The heat and humidity took some first timers by surprise. Dave Mancari and Jessica Buono were visiting from New York, and Friday was their first day ever in Wisconsin.

"We thought it was gonna be cold," Buono said. "We thought we were gonna get snow."

Those who are loyal fair goers were happy to share their favorite go-to items on a particularly hot day at the fair.

"My favorite thing, literally for the past six years, has been the giant pickle," Mack Schulz of Elm Grove said. "You walk up and say, 'I want a jumbo pickle,' and they'll ask if you want it on a stick. And yeah."

Others opt for some cold classics from any summertime festival.

"I go get the lemonade, you know?" Keem Allen of Milwaukee said. "Get you a nice, refreshing lemonade."

Hydration was indeed the name of the game. State Fair Spokesperson Tim McCormick said fair goers are able to bring in sealed water bottles, souvenir cups and reusable water bottles.

Still, you can't please everyone. A man who identified himself only as 'Reliable J' grumbled about the fair not allowing him to bring in a glass bottle for refilling. He was concerned about plastic melting into the water on such a hot day.

"I'm only drinking my water out of glass bottles," he said. "And today, unfortunately, we have to drink water out of plastic bottles because they won't allow us to bring glass bottles of water in."

With even hotter temperatures in the forecast for early Saturday afternoon, McCormick advised anyone feeling overheated to move into one of the air conditioned buildings at the park, including the Wisconsin Products Pavilion, the Dairy Building and Grand Champion Hall.

While the heat beat down all kinds of beings, it could not dampen the spirits of people who refuse to miss the state fair.

"It's brutally hot. Everybody here is sweaty," Courtney Hungelmann-Skiba said. "But the food is great and the drinks are good."