Tradition

Probably two of the funniest Wisconsin traditions that I've encountered so far are cow pie bingo and deer shining.

Deer shining means that around early November - in the weeks leading up to the Great Deerhunting Weekend - a Christmas with guns which eclipses even the birth of Jesus for Upper-Midwestern hunting enthusiasts - guys (and sometimes gals) take to driving around in pick-up trucks (or other vehicles, but usually pick-ups go well with that cultural group), well-stocked with beers and armed massive flashlights, which they then shine into the dark woods to see if they can see some big bucks. Of course, no shooting is allowed. In theory, the purpose of this is to establish where all the bucks are, but in reality it's nothing other than a form of recreation. And yes, I've seen people with a philosophy degree doing just that. In fact, saying "The deer-shiners are out" means "drive carefully, there are lots of horny bucks out there running around like crazy."

The cow pie bingo involves drawing bingo squares on the ground, surrounding the area with some sort of a fence, and then putting a cow (or a calf) in there. You then let people bet on various positions on the "board," and if the cow goes on the square you bet on, you win a prise. I, personally, couldn't believe such thing existed, but here in the rural area this is a semi-popular form of fundraising. That, and the smelt fries on Fridays during Lent. The latter ones, in particular, are my personal favorite.