With four months to go to opening day, announcements flow regularly from the New York State Fair, including some very welcome news regarding Chevrolet Court decorum. A long-overdue ban on smoking cigarettes on the benches and in the grassy area was announced last week, fulfilling a frequent and emphatic demand from your State Fair Hound.

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It’s a no brainer when you consider the close quarters involved with fans sitting literally hip-to-hip and thousands more standing tightly-bunched for shows in the courtyard. We’ll go on the record as saying that we don’t favor a Fairgrounds-wide ban on puffing as those afflicted would be too severely affected by such a law. But there are places—and Chevy Court is clearly among them—where non-smokers need to have a chance to breathe.

The Chevy Court experience still needs much improvement, but this is a giant leap.

Another change we applaud is the relaxation of beer and wine sales rules to allow vendors to serve until 11 p.m. Last call has come as early as 9:30 in recent years in an effort to control over-imbibing and related behavior issues. But drinkers who are going to cause problems will find a way, regardless of time, and there’s no use punishing everyone for the poor behavior of the few.

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Use some common sense, though. If quaffing a few is part of your Fair fun, plan ahead and take the bus or travel with a designated driver, OK.