In recent years, the New York State Fair has made a push to showcase the ethnic diversity of the Empire State. With the Pan African Village firmly established as a particularly popular Fair locale, the Latino Village has been ramping up for the past five Fairs.

This year the Asian Village jumped in for the first four days with vendors, music and dance. AV COCOAs with its predecessors, its vendors and exhibitors will need some time to promote familiarity with patrons.

When it comes to Fair fans, food is always a good place to start. Asian village cuisine shined with a tasty variety that included stir fry options and an exotic coconut drink that seemed to catch on quickly.

This year Latino and Asian shared space near the Youth Building and Talent Showcase stage, but future Fairs must let both grow into more established spots to allow visitors to know where they are and what they offer in terms of entertainment, food and exhibits. That way they can make their marks as their Pan African counterparts have done.