Get ready–The Great New York State Fair opens Wednesday. Don’t miss it!
Check back daily for an insider’s view of the Fair and dozens of new photos from State Fair Hound.
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As in the past few years, State Fair Hound is warning readers that there will be several nights when they may encounter extraordinarily heavy traffic on the roads leading to the New York State Fair due to concerts on those dates at the Mistake-By-The-Lake Amphitheater. 
While the Fair is in full swing on Aug. 24 and 25 and on Sep. 1 and 2, arriving music fans will be squeezing their vehicles into the notoriously-tight orange lot spaces for the privilege of paying exorbitant prices to sit on toxic waste beds for a show.
Amp showtimes are all in the 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. range, so the best way to avoid issues is to arrive for your day at the Fair as early as possible. That way, you can depart prior to the worst of the traffic jams.
The spectacular Wades midway opens in just one week at the New York State Fair.
The recently-reported kerfuffle resulting in the withdrawal from the New York State Fair of the Carol Baldwin Fund and its pink recycling bins is more evidence of the Fair being hamstrung by political nitwits and incompetent bureaucrats in Albany. 
Newschannel 9 aired an interview by reporter Andrew Donovan with Executive Director Elizabeth Baldwin, who was clearly exasperated by what she termed “non-communication and mistreatment” by the state. The cancer-fighting agency’s annual booth in the Science and Industry building will also be absent.
There’s been no comment from the state, but take it from The Hound, this mess oozed right out of Albany. Decades of experience covering the Fair have made it clear that this type of stupidity is always forced upon Fair administrators by overzealous lawyers and political hacks. The director and his team can’t say so if they want to stay employed, but we’d bet you a two-dollar bottle of tap water (thanks, Albany) that is the case.
Will reporters on the scene when the Gov shows up, perhaps on opening day, ask her about the needless meddling that made a simple operation benefiting a very worthwhile cause into an impenetrable tangle of red tape.? More important, will she answer? Probably not.
Someone should remind the politburo that this event belongs to us. Nobody asked regular folks what they think about bureaucratic meddling chasing this important fundraiser off the Fairgrounds. But they should already know the answer.
The fun comes to you as you stroll through the New York State Fair, beginning in two weeks.
Hardworking kids show their animals at the New York State Fair.
The New York State Fair is a fun-filled kids’ paradise. Tickets go on sale Thursday.
State Fair Hound readers have read many posts advocating for careful planning of your trip to the New York State Fair before going . No doubt, it greatly enhances your chances of maximizing your enjoyment once you enter the grounds.
Well, Fair fans, it’s time to start planning as the Fair has posted daily schedules for the 2023 edition on the official website. Many favorite features from years past will return. Here are some highlights:
Sea Lion Splash will be back in the Family Fun Zone, having made a triumphant return last year after an absence of several years.
The awe-inspiring Hawk Creek Wildlife Center birds of prey are winging in for what has become an perennial favorite with Fair patrons of all ages.
The small-but-mighty Circus Hollywood will be back with big-time, big-top entertainment. A petting zoo and the racing pigs will come along.
Steve Trash, the eco-magician is getting an encore on the small Empire Theater stage in the Art and Home center after a successful run last year.
The cast of wandering entertainers is headlined by the inimitable Hilby, the Skinny German Juggle Boy. 
He will perform daily from Tuesday, Aug. 29 through Labor Day. Also strolling the grounds will be one-man band Bandoloni, Rock-It the Robot and the Strolling Piano.
You already know that realistic, mechanical dinosaurs will inhabit the Exposition Center throughout the Fair. Also new this year are Lady Houdini–predictably enough an escape artist and magician like her namesake and the Groovy Guy, a juggler with a sense of humor.
The best news is that all of the entertainers named above are free for everyone who passes through the gates of the 2023 New York State Fair.
There will be notable infrastructure changes this year–more on that in a later post on State Fair Hound.
The history and inspiration of the Haudenosaunee people await your visit to the New York State Fair in five weeks.
Come hungry to the New York State Fair in six weeks.