Premier Event

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.