The final day of the 2022 New York State Fair is Monday with the observance of Labor Day. The traditional parade kicks off near the cow birthing center at the western end of the grounds at 10:30. Following the procession down Broadway, unions will rally down near Chevy Court.

After the parade has passed, you can go just off Broadway to enjoy displays of vintage items from hardware and tools to fabric, cookware and furniture in the Agricultural Museum. While there, you can  take in talks and demonstrations by exhibitors who have solid expertise on the artifacts on display and are there to answer  questions and chat with visitors.

Right next door is the the Carriage Museum, home to fascinating antique vehicles including wagons, buggies, carriages and sleighs. This year we missed Cowboy Doug and his western chuck wagon exhibit, but we’re told he may return next year. The clanging of hammer on anvil shaping red-hot iron highlights a live blacksmithing demonstrations in the back of the building.

If you haven’t gone into the Grange Building–next to the poultry barn–this year, don’t miss visiting the State Fair History exhibit. It should be an annual stop on the route for every Fair visitor, though it’s generally updated only a little from year to year. After 175 years of the New York State Fair, there’s plenty of history and much of it is on display. Still, it’s one of those displays where you may notice something different every year.

With special emphasis on the origins of the Fair, the Strates Shows’ long run here and the contributions of the Iroquois, every true Fair lover gets a warm feeling walking through this treasure trove of memories and tradition.

The photo gallery of performers who have drawn crowds to the various stages is a sure-fire favorite for music fans who may fondly recall shows featuring Sonny and Cher, the Beach Boys, the Supremes, Vince Gill, the Four Tops, Bowser and the Charlie Daniels Band among other memorable acts.

It’s dollar day with all rides except the Broadway SkyLiner priced at a buck.

The Fair wraps on Monday with buildings and the midway closing at 9 p.m.

The cavernous Exposition Center will this year will be a part of the New York State Fair for the fourth time since opening and it’s time to make it a more prominent part of the festivities.

To be honest, the Expo has primarily been an off-season venue, used for a wide variety of shows and events. It has made something of a comeback since the depressing events of 2020, booking many events and making the $62 million price tag seem like a wise investment in the future of our Fairgrounds.

But for the most part, despite its enormous potential, it’s hasn’t been a focal point during the Fair itself. Last year military aircraft dominated the space and they’re back this year along with an I Love NY tourism zone and a play field for kids. They really have to do better programming the Expo.

The Hound has previously mentioned that Fair officials don’t want to bring a circus inside because they want to preserve the cleanliness that performing animals may tarnish. But how about a non-animal, Cirque De Soleil-type show? It could be spectacular inside the Expo.

Other options could be a sports entertainment show–you know, basketball tricks, acrobats, maybe even Hilby–indoor concerts or theater. Movies and sports have been screened inside and that’s always an option.

Looking west from Expo, Beef Day is observed annually on the grounds. This year it’s Tuesday.

Every day of the Fair, visitors can  tour the pole barn at the far western end of the grounds where they will see dozens of massive bovines in residence. They represent the New York beef industry and all of the various breeds including Angus, Hereford, Charolais, shorthorn and others. Both adult and youth owners will show their livestock. Special events include hay bale throwing competitions.

The spacious pole barn was built more recently than most other barns to house hundreds of steers. They’re bigger and scarier than the more familiar dairy cattle and you certainly aren’t likely to reach over to scratch their heads. Still, it’s worth a trip past Talent Showcase and the Cow Birthing tent to meet these bulky bovines, though it may depress your desire for burgers after looking into their soulful eyes.

There’s a show ring where the beefers are judged and it’s a memorable sight to see handlers tugging and pushing the big guys around the dirt floor. It’s nothing like training your dachshund, that’s for sure.

Tuesday is also Fire and Rescue Day as active and retired first responders are admitted free. They will parade down Broadway beginning at 6 p.m.

Our first look at the 2022 edition of the New York State Fair was very different from last year’s event and that’s great news. Gone are the omissions and restrictions imposed in 2021 as health precautions and nobody misses them. That was following the nightmare of 2020, when the Fair was cancelled. So this year we’re back to our more traditional Fair which we haven’t seen since 2019 and it’s a wonderful feeling.

Day one dawned brightly and it was a lovely day to enjoy the Fair. The area around Chevrolet Court got bustling early, sunlight glistening across the reflecting pool as visitors strolled past the State Parks exhibits or relaxed on a bench at the pond edge.

Fans had yet to invade Chevy Court to grab seats for the afternoon concert by Steven Page or the evening show featuring Jimmie Allen. The neat rows of metal benches were surrounded by lush green lawn. The pathetic lineup of concerts this year will likely mean less demand for those benches.

Many vendors and exhibitors were scrambling to finalize their set-up in the first few hours after the gates opened. Two very rainy days prior to opening no doubt delayed preparations.

Inside the Center of Progress, artists were still in the early stages of carving the sand sculpture, so the theme had yet to be revealed.

The grounds looked sparkling clean and staff was welcoming.

One low point is that many prices seem to be higher than in previous years–the Fair is affected no less than the rest of the world, though maple ice cream is still six dollars and still delicious.

It’s obvious that increased picnic areas continue to be a priority and there are many tables, especially since the Central Park area isn’t hosting shows this year.

The three days leading up to the first weekend aren’t usually too crowded, so with mostly good weather being forecast, Thursday and Friday should be good days to visit.

The countdown to the opening of the 2022 New York State Fair is down to the last few days and the headline story is the return of Sea Lion Splash. Everyone–with the possible exception of the seals themselves–enjoys the fish-catching, fast-swimming, ball-bouncing antics. The show starring those whiskered aquatic mammals is one of just a handful of new features this year as the big news is that the traditional Fair is back after two painful, pandemic-affected years.

“The new features that we have this year are the old features that we have this year,” Interim Director Sean Hennessey told State Fair hound. “What’s new is old. We have a full Fair this year. That’s what’s new about the Fair this year.”

So it’s back to all of the buildings fully open and operational, all of the livestock in the barns and some popular food vendors returning after taking 2021 off. The World of Horses stable and scientific exhibits in the Center of Progress and the Science and Industry Building debut. Eco-Magician Steve Trash performs for the first time in the Empire Theater.

Beyond that, new features will have to wait for next year, when a sparkling new sheep and wool center will be one of several permanent structures to open.

“There’s a refocusing on agriculture,” Hennessey said. “We’re going to be doing groundbreaking on three different facilities sometime during the Fair. There’s going to be a brand new, state-of-the-art, 365-day greenhouse that we’re going to be constructing here on the Fairgrounds. We’re going to be looking at alternative energy packages for that project.”

Mighty Mike and the Strolling Piano return for the second year, joining such longtime luminaries as Hilby, Bandoloni, the Hawk Creek Birds of Prey and Circus Hollywood to put a shine on this year’s Fair.

The make-or-break element this year is really how the public reacts to the grand reopening. Fair customers coming out in big numbers to find the Fair they love waiting for them inside the gates will be cause to celebrate.

With the decision from Gov. Hochul that the New York State Fair will resume its 13-day schedule next year, we can all start looking forward to that and to the return of the traditions and conventions we love in our Fair.

But first, let’s take a quick look back at what we just finished, the only 18-day State Fair in our history and likely the last, at least for a while. This year, people attending the Fair didn’t really know what to expect when they first passed through the gates. It was certainly not the Fair we’ve come to love, but if you gave it a chance, you could have had a great time there nonetheless.

While the absence of some of the most popular food stands dominated the headlines, many favorite vendors returned to their familiar locations from restaurant row to the Eatery to the Pan African Village and the colonnade. Food aside, most disappointing were the missing wine court, closed Agriculture Museum and lack of  livestock, particularly the International Horse Show.

But Hawk Creek Wildlife Center, juggling comedian Hilby, the colorful Circus Hollywood, the delicate butterflies, wacky splashdowns of the Sinbad High Dive Show and one-man rock’n’roll band Bandoloni all returned to the cheers of Fair audiences, while the regal Iroquois Village welcomed us warmly beneath its majestic shade trees.

Additionally, there were great new features such as the daring parachuting skills of the all-women Highlight Pro Skydiving Team, the mobile virtuosity of the Strolling Piano, a wall of pop art from muralist Arcy and  feats of strength from wisecracking Mighty Mike. The pink passion of strawberry milk brought back sweet memories of the Rainbow Milk Bar and the sheer number of big-stage concert acts gave nearly everyone music to enjoy.

The Latino Village is a work in progress, while the racing pigs and the WaterBark show weren’t as much fun as they sound and the sand sculpture, while still artistically amazing, was thematically pretty dull. Aside from the petting zoo, there were no wild animal acts, which is a step in the right direction.

Remember that you can submit ideas, criticisms, compliments and suggestions on the website, nysfair.ny.gov, where planning for 2022 is already underway.

Believe it or not, closing time on Saturday marks the halfway point of the 2021 New York State Fair.

The first-ever Fair to exceed 13 days was destined from the start to be historic, but timing and circumstances have required fans to accept some changes and omissions, challenging all of us to see this milk cup as half full.

We surely need this event at this time to represent a return of treasured traditions and guilty pleasures that have made the run-up to Labor Day a burst of excitement, spurring creation of magical Fair memories.

Aside from simply swinging open the gates, the highlights of the first nine days have included skydivers landing on the New York Experience lawn, the return of muralist Arcy, who is painting a Woodstock-themed wall in the Expo Center, improvements that have made the Chevy Park stage a tremendous success, the premiere of several new food stands, an experimental return of strawberry milk at the milk bar and a few, largely unpopular, changes to Fair procedures.

The second half of this year’s Fair will include the arrival of horses and cows, more concerts (two by the fabulous Mavericks), daily performances by the inimitable Hilby, a Latino Festival and a climactic Labor Day fireworks show. Meanwhile, food vendors, Six-Nations dancers, diving dogs, gadget peddlers, high-flying acrobats, and midway entertainers have all hit their stride and are bracing themselves for a furious sprint to the closing weekend, hoping the holiday rush will bring out the biggest crowds.