Wisconsin Halls of Fame: When You Have a "Rest Area Maintenance Program Hall of Fame," What Else Do You Need?

I have been posting pictures of famous Wisconsinites and asking readers to guess their identities. When there are no guesses, I give hints. The first three have been identified. The fourth has had no guesses (even though, for bloggers, he is darn important).

I debated what to name my list. With some trepidation, I settled on CC's Wisconsin Hall of Fame. People have become accustomed to "Halls of Fame" for lists of historic figures (even when there is no hall).

But is the phrase over-used? I searched to find Halls of Fame located (either actually or figuratively) in Wisconsin. Was I surprised.

Various groups try to honor the people from Wisconsin who have made their little corner of the world better. Some of those efforts are admirable, while some are simply silly. How many of these "Halls of Fame" have you visited, or even heard of?

Wisconsin Association of Future Farmers of America Hall of Fame
Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame
Wisconsin Auctioneer's Association Hall of Fame
Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame
Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame
Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame
Wisconsin Conservation Hall of Fame
Wisconsin Football Coaches Hall of Fame
Wisconsin Golf Hall of Fame
Wisconsin Harness Racing Hall of Fame
Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame
Wisconsin Meat Industry Hall of Fame
Wisconsin Pet Hall of Fame
Wisconsin Polka Hall of Fame
Wisconsin's Rest Area Maintenance Program Hall of Fame
Wisconsin Soccer Association Hall of Fame
Wisconsin Amateur Softball Association Hall of Fame

And that is just a partial list.

We also have Halls of Fame that portend to be national or international in scope, or that honor particular industries or activities beyond the boundaries of Wisconsin, including:

Forestry Hall of Fame
International Clown Hall of Fame
National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame
Paper Industry Hall of Fame
Snowmobile Hall of Fame
Wood Tick Hall of Fame

Of course, there is one Hall of Fame that, for most of us, is a true shrine to greatness:

Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame

Most of these places, however, honor the big fish in their own small ponds. Wisconsin seems to forget that it has a rich history of truly great people. We forgot to honor many of them, and some of them we have totally forgotten. That is why the Croc has established CC's Wisconsin Hall of Fame.