A tent next to the new Empire Experience pond features a replica of the gunboat USS Philadelphia that carried General Benedict Arnold and his Continental Army troops in 1776 during the Revolutionary War. The original Philadelphia, the oldest surviving American fighting naval vessel, was discovered in Lake Champlain in 1935 and is now housed at the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.

The 15-foot long replica was assembled onsite opening day by a team led by Erich Tichonuk, co-executive director of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, Vergennes, VT.

Throughout the Fair, the exhibit will include the completed Philadelphia replica, daily wooden boat building demonstrations, a shipwreck display and educational boating exhibits. The Great Lakes Research Consortium 24-7 sensing buoy will transmit data from an in-water remotely operated vehicle floating in pond.

The free exhibit opens daily at 10 am.

The classic complaint that the Fair is the same every year has surely been put to rest over the past couple of Fairs. State Fair Hound has spotted some terrific new features to pass along.

A wooden deck has been built onto the back side of the Agriculture Museum, adding beauty and making it accessible from both sides.

These gorgeous pups are serving as goodwill ambassadors for the State Police.

Hawk Creek Wildlife Center brought a new guest star this year. This handsome tortoise can be seen sunning in the yard next to the birds’ tent.

The Empire Experience area debuts this year between the midway and the racing stables. It a massive grassy spot with a large, technically efficient stage where three free shows will perform daily, featuring many tribute bands plus local favorites the Ripcords, Ruby Shooz and Fritz’s Polka Band. The complete schedule is on the Fair website, nysfair.ny.gov.

The focal point is a human-made pond that is being used for various exhibits and activities, including a day of fishing. There’s a tiki bar at water’s edge and exhibit tents with vendors nearby as curious Fair patrons take their initial tour.

Fairgoers seem to be slow in discovering this vast new territory as it’s been lightly attended thus far. This is to be expected as the expanded Fairgrounds has so much new to explore. But it certainly adds an exciting dimension with tremendous potential for future exhibits and entertainment.

At this year’s New York State Fair, every cat will have its day, at least if it’s a lynx. Hawk Creek Wildlife Center is hosting demonstrations featuring three kinds of the felines, sometimes called bobcats or wildcats, daily at Noon, 2:30 and 4:30.

The 30-minute presentation takes place in a white tent tucked into the corner between the Horticulture Building and the International Pavilion, not far from the State Police exhibit. There you can meet Meisha, an African Serval, pictured at left, and Rena, a Eurasian Lynx. Kodiak, a Canada Lynx, represents a breed native to New York and the most familiar looking of the trio.

Staff tells their stories and gives a lot of background on the breeds, but the cats, which aren’t much larger than house cats, have to stay in their cages.

Three non-feline animals are also presented–Dakota, a gray fox, Ripper, a porcupine and Oz, a kudamundi. Hawk Creek, which has been hosting a birds of prey exhibit for the past few years, focuses on education and conservation, always showing fascinating animals that add entertainment and appreciation of our wildlife.

All presentations are free of charge.

There have been some improvements to one of the New York State Fair’s best features, known last year as Equine Avenue. The newly-expanded, World of Horses lets visitors get close to horses—as depicted in this photo by State Fair Hound’s Nick LoPresti—and is a wealth of information and entertainment about them.

This year they’ll be celebrating the success of Olympic equestrians, particularly gold medal winning New Yorkers Beezie Madden of Cazenovia and McLain Ward of Brewster. No appearances by our Olympians have been announced, but that would be a real coup for the Fair, if arranged.

Fairgoers can learn about breeds, care, physiology and all things equine. There will be games, prizes, trivia and photo ops. Best of all, there will be friendly horses within petting range.

City Market, an antiques and flea market that debuted last year, returns to the back of the Chevy Court area on Aug. 28 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Local vendors will again display collectibles, crafts, art and rare pieces not often found at the Fair. It’s definitely worth a visit.

Review of the 2015 New York State Fair continues today with a look at State Fair Hound’s favorite new features. Equine Avenue tops the list, a tent that not only allowed close-up looks at some beautiful horses, but also allowed visitors to pet and pat the animals. Horse-related educational displays made it even better.

Improvements to the Iroquois Village, along with a rejuvenated Six Nations Day, made this a banner year for the original inhabitants of what is now New York. The new archway entrance, a huge dining deck and newly-paved paths that preserved the rustic look were terrific upgrades. An inside source revealed to the Hound that more improvements are on the way with replacement of the buildings planned for next year.

An unexpected first-year display showed how maple syrup is harvested and processed for sale. Set in a corner of the Horticulture building, it impressed Fair patrons with how much goes into bringing maple products to the market.

The Hound also hopes to see the return of the City Market, this year held on Aug. 29 only. Meanwhile Rexie the T-Rex quickly established himself (herself?) as a favorite of kids and adults and one of the Fair’s most photographed characters.

The Hound’s review rolls on tomorrow and beyond.