With the 2018 New York State Fair in the record book, State Fair Hound shares a few initial reactions.
First–thank you and congratulations to Acting Director Troy Waffner and his dedicated team on a great year of achievement. Vision and hard work pays off. The future is very bright and State Fair nation should be excited.
Within the gates, the crowds were handled remarkably well. Sometimes the traffic and parking was a disaster. Given the attendance figures and logistical limitations, maybe nothing could have prevented it. But let’s try. More in a later post.
The numbers were stunning, but one is suspect. The Sep. 2 Chevy Court concert by young rapper A Boogie Wid Da Hoodie was said to be the biggest crowd ever at that venue. Don’t believe it. Mid-concert, you could walk past the Dairy Building entrance without having to squeeze through elbow-to-elbow fans. Past audiences, including Lady Antebellum and the Steve Miller Band, among others, were packed tight far beyond that point. How about a recount, guys?
Post-Standard/Syracuse.com reporter Teri Weaver covered a Labor Day visit by Andy Cuomo and quoted remarks by him demonstrating an arrogance and ignorance rarely seen north of the White House. Listen Gov–you can recognize and celebrate the current greatness of the Fair without saying that it was lousy before you added your magic touch. The Fair is terrific, deserving of praise, but many of us thought it was pretty damn good back in the Wayne Gallagher days, if not sooner. And yes, we are including the Peter Cappuccilli, Jr. administration. Even a Republican can run a successful Fair. 
Getting back to Sunday night, television stations have reported that there were incidents of fighting and assault at the concert and on the midway. Before you go online to blame rap fans or rowdy kids, particularly with their ethnicity in mind, remember that there have always been occasional problems at the Fair, often late at night, frequently alcohol-fueled. When you have well over a million visitors over two weeks, stuff happens. From opening day through Labor Day, it was remarkably peaceful, given that anyone with 10 bucks (sometimes less) can walk in at any time. For those who blame the type of entertainment, recall that there was a time rock’n’roll had a reputation for creating trouble.
It’s hard to remember a Fair with such a variety of weather conditions–hot, cool, windy, stormy, sunny–it all happened. 
Humidity kept attendance down a couple of times, but on most days hardy fans poured in. Although the new Exposition Center wasn’t build as a shelter, visitors quickly discovered that it was a great spot to cool off or to stay dry.
State Fair hound will continue to analyze and review New York State Fair 2018 in coming days with many photos. See you soon.
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