The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
GREAT NEWYORK STATE FAIR
As the Fair continues to grow, new and familiar crowds check out the sights
GEDDES, N.Y. >> Whether’s it your first time there or you’ve been going for years, everyone has something to say about the Great New York State Fair.
“This is our first time here at the Fair,” Michael Jones, a resident of Corning, said. Jones was there with his wife Miranda and his two children.
They had moved from Pennsylvania around a year ago and missed last year’s fair. While looking for something fun to do this summer, they decided to make the trip.
“We were looking for something to do with the kids and this was well talked about,” Jones said. “A lot of my friends and my coworkers spoke highly of the Fair.”
The Jones family made plans to do a lap of the whole Fair — after finishing their barbecue lunch — and hit as many attractions as possible.
“We got the Fair App, so we know where some of the animal attractions we want to take the kids to,” Jones said.
With cows, pigs, chickens,
fowl, goats, horses, llamas and even more exotic animals, there’s a lot to see for those with a love for animals.
Jones was surprised to hear that there were giraffes at the State Fair and said that was something his son Asher would love to see.
And while some love to watch all the animals, some just like to watch the crowds.
“I come to the Fair every year,” Laurie Indick, a resident of Lafayette, said. “I think my favorite thing is the people watching.”
Indick was joined by her husband Pete, both of whom had made a beeline to grab a Tipsy Cow — a Fair cocktail of chocolate milk, coffee and vodka, and served with two cider apple donuts as a garnish.
“They’re just the best,” Indick said. “They started it last year and I had to come back to get it again.”
One thing Indick did pick up on is a change with the Fair itself.
“I think they moved things around this year,” Indick said. “They’ve spread things out. I think they’re trying to stop people from congregating in one big spot.”
There have been changes and additions to the Fair this year. Right up until a month before, the Great New York State Fair was making changes. In July, a 10.5-acre parking lot was leased near Willis Avenue, estimated to hold around 1,800 vehicles. A new trolley system — the Broadway Bubble Express— was introduced the week before opening as a way to get around 18 people through the Fair’s 375-acre complex.
These changes to organization and spacing were seen as a welcome to some visitors.
“I was skeptical about going to the Fair this year,” said Peter Gianferrara, a Camillus resident. “Four to five years ago it, was pretty bad. There’d be large crowds congregated around the beer tents. Now, it’s more opened up. There’s more room for everybody to walk and it’s cleaner. There’s a lot of bathrooms around now, too.”
Gianferrara said he hadn’t planned on attending this year until a friend told him things had changed for the better.
“I’ve been here for an hour and I’mimpressed,” Gianferrara said. “Compared to last year, it’s even better.”
Gianferrara was there with his wife and four-yearold son, Pierson, and still had a lot they wanted to do.
“We’re going to go to the youth center, we’re going to the Indian Village and definitely eat some good food,” Pierson said. He added that if the Fair keeps going the way it is, he plans on coming back next year with the family.
But while Gianferrara felt the change is welcome, Syracuse resident Sue Lieter felt the Fair has lost something over the years since she first started attending in themid’70s.
“I think they’re trying to gentrify the Fair and I don’t think that’s all good,” Lieter said. “It’s like they’re trying to make it fancier. More sophisticated.”
Lieter said this isn’t exactly a bad thing, saying she remembers years pastwhere it was elbow to elbow, but added the hustle and bustle of the Fair in years past gave it charm.
One of the changes Lieter feels has taken away from the Fair is at the Center of Progress building.
“In years past at the Center of Progress, you could findall sortsofhawkers, junk and cheap stuff you could only find at the Fair,” Lieter said. “There was a horoscope machine that would give you your horoscope for two bucks. I remember there was a booth that sold novelties and I bought dolls that were in Chinese costumes. They were three or four bucks apiece and I bought a doll there for several years. I’ve given them to my granddaughter now.”
Lieter said things have changed over the years and while that’s not necessarily bad, she doesn’t want the Fair to lose its identity.
“It’s not a criticism,” Lieter said. “I think some of the things changed are good but I don’t want this to be like Disney World or an exposition. I want this to have the personality of a fair.”