For the first time since 1990, an extra day was added to the Great New York State Fair, pushing the number from 12 to 13 days.

Every year the fair gets bigger, said Dave Bullard, a fair representative. It’s projected to once again break attendance records. Last year, 1.1 million people visited the grounds and already the fair has started off with a bang. With opening day falling in the middle of the week on last week Wednesday, the fair team did not expect a huge turnout.

“Look at any year where a fair day was added and that first day will always be very meek,” Bullard said. “This one was a very fun surprise. We were expecting 50,000 on a good day.”

That Wednesday 67,974 passed through the fair.

Bullard credits the growth to expansions and renovations made throughout the last two years.

In 2015 New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo put forth $50 million toward redesigning the fairgrounds. The investment opened about 60 acres to be used year round. Bullard described the expansion like moving from an apartment to a house and realizing you just don’t have enough furniture. The solution? Fill the space, he said.

Bullard noted two expansion projects: an RV park and an expanded midway, an area hosting  games and rides at the fair.

Round two of renovations is backed by a $70 million commitment from Cuomo. More than two-thirds of the monetary commitment is slated for the creation of an exposition center on the fairgrounds. This space will be used for privately hosted events like horse and trade shows.

“The current horse show hall can’t get any bigger,” Bullard said. “A bigger arena means more success.”

Most of the remaining money in the budget is set for an aerial gondola that will transport fair goers from the fairgrounds to the Lakeview Amphitheater year round. The gondola is expected to ease travel and free up traffic congestion between the areas.

With an ever expanding fair come changes and additions:

More music – With more fair days comes additional musical acts. On the Chevy Court Stage alone, 36 national acts will perform. Combined with performances on other stages that number goes up to a more than 500 acts.

This year the state police exhibit, one of the most visited exhibits, was moved to the Horticulture Building freeing up more space for the demonstrations the police are known for like rescuing a hostage and putting on an underwater show in their new scuba tank.

Drones – Parking and traffic reinforcements in the form of two drones, owned by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, will monitor the highways and parking lots. The fair infamously causes hour-long congestion on the Interstate 690. The drones will provide online video of traffic conditions, allowing officials to alert travelers of traffic changes, accidents and  parking lots nearing capacity.

Milk bar – Of this year’s changes, one of Bullard’s favorites and the one that he expects to be most popular is the new Milk Bar. The fair is famous for its 25 cent ice cold milk. Though keeping the milk at that price does not make the fair any income it remains an honored tradition because it help promote central New York’s dairy industry.

“I love that grandparents can tell their grandkids that they used to line up in the same line to get their own cup of milk,” Bullard said.

With the milk being an honored tradition comes massive lines. To speed up the process patrons are now able to bypass the cashier stop and purchase milk tokens at a machine. The tokens are then exchanged for a cup of milk. Additional milk taps have also been installed to meet demand.

Diverse foods – About 95 percent of food vendors return to the fair year after year, but when there is turnover the goal is to bring more diversity to the food lineup.

“Food is the main reason people come to the fair,” Bullard said.

Bringing in more hotdogs, sausage sandwiches and fried concoctions won’t add much to the menu. Instead vendors of vegetarian, vegan and multicultural foods are finding their place as a fair mainstay.

Published on August 27, 2017 at 9:51 pm

Contact Stacy: sfern100@syr.edu | @StacyFernandezB