Every so often, State Fair Hound switches to a wide-angle lens to remind readers how much there is within the border of the New York State Fair. Each year brings some changes for better or worse, but it’s always an astounding and mind-blowing event.
Regular readers know very well that The Hound is a big believer in planning for your day at the Fair. 
If you put a focus on activities you enjoy most, you’re much more likely to great day on the grounds. It’s not a bad idea to unfold your Fair map and choose a route, at least informally, so you can save steps and energy while making sure you make it to all of your favorites.
The big picture is dazzling, for sure. Our Fair has just about anything you call entertainment. When you start making a list–as we did–it’s hard to stop.. 
There’s music, fine art, gardening, nature, livestock, cars, farming, antiques, cooking, Native American history and dance, wild animals, theater, trains, wine and beer, sports, science and medicine, a circus, African culture, crafts, hunting and fishing, food, food and more food from some of Central New York’s finest restaurants serving perennial culinary treats and exotic concoctions.
Not enough? Strolling acts like Hilby, Bandaloni and the Strolling Piano are hard to find anywhere else. The nearly-unique butter sculpture and the amazing sand sculpture are great fun. Free samples and prize drawings abound. And you already know about the midway, a world of entertainment in itself.
If you enjoy taking photos, you can spend the entire 13 days snapping pictures without repeating one. There’s no shortage of shopping, including many unusual items and those crazy things hyped on television infomercials. Even the sales pitches are entertaining. 
Focus on the achievements and ideas of young New Yorkers in the Youth Building, the Talent Showcase, the FFA Exhibits Building and the animal barns. Hop on a tram and relax while enjoying a free tour of the grounds or view it all from above on the Broadway Skyliner.
Do you have questions or need information about state government services? Many are here. You can pay your respects to veterans and remember 9-11 victims, attend worship services, register to vote, sign up to be an organ donor, play the State Lottery, investigate educational or professional opportunities or plan your next vacation.
There are many patrons who love to just sit with a meal or a drink and watch people pass by. Pull up a picnic table and take it all in. 
There are food stands that have a neighborhood tavern or sports bar atmosphere, complete with televised games. The whole show ends with dazzling fireworks.
No event, not even the Great New York State Fair, is for everybody. But if you don’t enjoy it, it’s not because there’s not enough there. For more on the wealth of entertainment at the Fair, scroll through the posts here on statefairhound.com and review the Fair’s website, www.nysfair.ny.gov.
The great Indoors
It seems that every year we wonder what will be going on in the Exposition Center at this Fair. The answer is usually, “Not much.” But hooray–this year Expo will host Dinosaur Expedition featuring more than 60 true-to-life, prehistoric lizards from the Mesozoic Era.
The imposing dinosaurs will stick around for the entire 13-day run of the Fair and everyone will be admitted for no charge above regular admission. The big dino show features fearsome creatures that range in size from babies measuring three-feet or “fun-sized,” to full-grown massive creatures that stand as tall as 35 feet and span as long as 80 feet. 
Visitors will be able to walk through the indoor experience at their own pace, taking in the wonders of dinosaurs, including the Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptor, Brachiosaurus, and Stegosaurus.
“With moving heads, necks, tails and wings, mouths that open and close, blinking eyes and sounds that mimic breathing movements, these creations have such stunning, advanced animatronic features that visitors will feel like they are really walking among the dinosaurs,” said Sean Hennessey, Interim Fair Director. While the exhibit has been to cities including Chicago, Dallas, and Las Vegas, this is the first time that Immersive Productions has brought the dinosaurs to a state fair. Typically, in other cities where it visits, attendees pay a minimum of $25 per person to experience the Dinosaur Expedition.
Finally, the programming in the Expo is commensurate with the potential of the still-shiny hall, hearkening back decades during which The Hound has covered the Fair as many immensely popular traveling exhibits drew crowds to one of the Fair’s buildings. Thinking back to the late 20th century, we remember terrific displays from the Baseball Hall of Fame and NASA, presidential memorabilia of Kennedy and Reagan and a phenomenally popular Elvis Presley collection. Corning Glass made numerous appearances with dazzling demonstrations of glass-blowing. 
Such door-buster exhibits have been missing lately and that’s too bad. They were always Fair fan favorites and could be again. The dinos may be a beginning.
Also in Expo is an “I Love New York” tourism display and the return of the popular playground area.
Leave a Reply