Driving past the Fairgrounds this week affords a look at the midway skyline shaping up and just Friday we got our first view of the new video message board above the main gate. It looks terrific with vivid colors and a crystal clear display that changes every few seconds.

It looks somewhat how the sign looked when first erected (we’re thinking that was in the late 90s), but some problems developed a few years later and then management gave up on it and covered the screen with billboard-like signage.

It didn’t seem all that exciting to envision a new electronic message board in place, but wow, this thing is gorgeous. It certainly delivers the message that patrons will be entering a new New York State Fair that’s fresh, bright and colorful. We’ve never thought that the folks who say, “It’s the same old thing every year,” were very credible, but this edition should really shut them up.

With one week to go before opening, media coverage has started to ramp up. CNY Central had a good story Wednesday with video of the Wades Show midway going up. Again, this is unusual for the New York State Fair as the Strates Shows couldn’t start this early and generally didn’t need to do so.

Certainly everything should be ready to go for opening day, even that huge roller coaster. The Post-Standard also had a story Wednesday and a photo today.

Not to be outdone, State Fair Hound was on the ground today to find a predictably busy Fairgrounds as everywhere you look there’s preparation underway.

These exclusive photos show work being done today.

The Wade Shows website reveals an interesting fact about their operation. During the run of the 2014 New York State Fair, Wade’s first appearance here, they will also be servicing the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island, Aug. 22 to Sep. 1, the Cumberland County Fair in Crossville, Tn., Aug. 25 to Aug. 30 and the Santa Cali Gon Days in Independence, Mo., Aug 28 to Sep.1. Will that mean fewer rides in Syracuse? The website lists 54 scheduled to make an appearance here.

While contemplating the midway, it also occurs to us that this year there won’t be rides and equipment arriving by rail as had been the case with the Strates Shows train, which pulled up behind the grandstand every year. It was wonderfully nostalgic and a marvel to watch the train being unloaded as the midway rose from the pavement.

Strates also serviced the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, which concludes its annual run the Sunday prior to the Thursday opening of the State Fair. That sometimes meant that rides requiring more set-up time weren’t ready when the Fair opened and some weren’t used at all. That doesn’t seem to be an issue with Wade, so they have greater flexibility to construct more labor-intensive rides, typically those of the roller coaster or wild mouse variety. Good news for sure, if those are your favorites.

But if you plan to walk the midway several times and would prefer to rides a few times each visit, there should be a way for you avoid paying individual prices each time. The Strates’ coupon or digital card systems supported that goal well, but we don’t know yet whether Wades has any multi-ride deals aside from the ride all day price.

The new midway operator is The Story of this year’s Fair and you can count on State Fair Hound to stay on top of it. We’ll also bring you some more photos like this one of last year’s midway by Nick LoPresti.

OK, all you moms, dads and grandparents heading out to the 2014 New York State Fair with kids in tow. The State Fair Hound offers these tips and ideas to maximize your fun and minimize your problems.

Look for some fun new features, starting with the new Fair mascots, an ear of corn character called Pop and a candy apple guy named Candy, clearly aimed at the pre-teen set. They’ll likely take up roles similar to furry friends Yorky (seen here in a photo by Nick LoPresti) and Fritter, waving and clowning around the grounds, hugging kids and posing for photos. For the little ones looking up at these colorful playmates, they become part of the Fair landscape, adding to the party atmosphere.

Tractor Town, which puts the Sesame Street set behind the wheel, and Wolves of the World, with live canines, will be staged in the Youth Activity Center, in front of the Youth Building.

The Swifty Swine Racing Pigs will sprint down a track in the Sports Activity Center in front of the Coliseum. By front we mean the State Fair Blvd. side. The Harlem Wizards basketball show will make their dazzling moves there as well.

It could be an exciting year on the midway as this will be the first year that we won’t be customers of the James E. Strates Shows. The Wade Shows’ initial year at the New York State Fair promises major changes, especially with new rides. Plenty of kiddie rides are promised. More on the midway in a later post.

Families will have to decide whether to purchase all-day passes at the pre-sale price of $20 per day. We have to think that for most riders, this is a really good deal. Though we haven’t seen the prices Wade will charge for individual rides, history with Strates would lead us to expect to pay at least three or four dollars per ride, more in some cases. So logically, anyone who rides more than five rides would likely do better with the wristband.

And the Dinosaurs, prominently mentioned in an earlier post (Gearing Up, Aug. 1), sounds great, but costs $5 per person. Look for them behind the Horticulture Building.

For kids of yesterday—The Way We All Became the Brady Bunch, featuring three former stars of the lame 70s series (including that dreamy Greg, aka Barry Williams), will be staged in the Art and Home Center’s Empire Theater on Aug. 23. You’ll need a $20 ticket from the State Fair box office.

It’s not too soon to be planning your Fair visit. Check the Visitors Guide and the website (nysfair.org.) and print out a map if you need one. If you arrive with an itinerary and advance sale tickets, your odds of having a great time increase significantly.

Check back on the Hound for more ideas and early reviews.

The Fairgrounds looked pretty much the same as last year when we walked it over the weekend. There will be plenty of work done before the opening of this year’s New York State Fair, but we didn’t see much in the way of major changes so far.

One improvement we are glad to see is the construction of a new patio in front of the International Building (shown in photo) that will be finished in the same way as the existing patios flanking Chevrolet Court. We also expect a new look inside the science and industry building. The Chevy Court area was still blocked off on Sunday as crews cleaned up from the rock concert that was held there on Saturday, so we don’t know about work in the colonnade area as they prepare for the Taste NY Wine, Beer and Spirits Village.

We didn’t spot any new food stands, but that’s a long term updating project that will gradually see replacement of the older, wooden restaurants. One of our favorite vendors, Daniella’s Steakhouse, has a new location. The Geddes restaurant has taken over the stand that had for many years been occupied by Speach’s Family A’Fair. It’s just inside gate four, not far from the Iroquois Village. We snapped a photo showing new, bright yellow signs making it hard to miss.

One thing we have to keep in mind is that very important improvements may not be readily visible to fairgoers. These include roof work, electrical updates and similar infrastructure modernization.

We’re less than three weeks from the start of the 2014 New York State Fair, so it’s time to start planning your itinerary.

Today the attractions and events tab appeared on the website and we got confirmation that juggling maniac Hilby will be back as will the dazzling monarch butterfly garden (shown in a photo from the Fair’s website). Of course not every attraction is listed, so we’ll have to wait until opening day to look for other favorites.

We were horrified to discover that one of this year’s marquee exhibits, Discover the Dinosaurs, carries a $5 admission charge. In recent years, most of the attractions on the grounds have been free of charge. That includes a multitude of animal acts, the stunt-type shows, log-carvers, circus acts, historic stuff like the Elvis memorabilia and various president-related exhibits as well as off-the-wall stuff like Toothpick City.

We’re not seeing admission charges listed for this year’s other new arrivals, so we’re hoping the dinosaurs aren’t leading to the extinction of free entertainment. The plethora of free attractions that comes with admission to the Fair has always been its strength, so this causes concern, not only because there’s a charge to see these reptiles, but at $5, it’s pretty significant, especially in comparison to the advance-sale price of $6 to push through the turnstiles. There’s no mention of a family charge or reduced children’s prices, but we’re hoping those are in place.

One new event we didn’t see listed will treat car enthusiasts and baby boomers to a close encounter with some classic Ford Mustangs, among the most beloved sports cars ever made. The 50th anniversary display, presented by the Mustang Club of America, is sure to spark happy memories of high school proms, Beach Boys music, road trips and drive-ins.

The Hound will check on the new attractions when the gates open and we’ll let you know what to expect and how to save money on your day at the Fair. As you get ready, we recommend that you scroll through the events and attractions list on the website, nysfair.org, found under the “your visit” tab.

The full entertainment agenda for the 2014 New York State Fair should be posted on the website any day, but already we’ve seen an exciting trend toward staging of some potential blockbuster sideshows. We mentioned the Great Lakes shipwrecks exhibit in our July 22 post, Water Works, and there are several more.

The Discover the Dinosaurs attraction sounds like a winner with gigantic mechanical lizards that move and roar. The visitors guide promises that they’re very lifelike, making this an exhibit that will enthrall kids while also entertaining parents. No sponsor was revealed, but doesn’t Dinosaur Bar-B-Que seem like a natural for this one?

Several wild animal acts are perennial favorites, particularly the sea lions (photo by Nick LoPresti) and the birds of prey—no announcement yet on their potential return—and this year’s new act can’t miss with powerful stars that are cousins to our beloved companion, the dog. They’re wild wolves that will perform for fans. The description says visitors will be able to get into the pen with the wolves as they are being fed. Sounds risky, but we trust the trainers to know what they’re doing.

We generally disdain the concept of wild animals being used for entertainment, but we’re hoping that this show prompts fairgoers to get involved with protecting wild wolves, one of nature’s awe-inspiring creatures, from the knuckleheads who fear or hunt them. A more long range aspiration would be for the Fair to become a leader in avoiding wild animal acts in most circumstances.

Two big hits that debuted last year– the cow birthing center and the State Fair History exhibit–are back and bigger. The State Fair Hound is always psyched by the approach of our favorite event, but this year is shaping up as something special.

Two shows remain to be filled on the Chevrolet Court schedule at the 2104 New York State Fair, but already it’s notable for the variety it engenders. Past Fairs have proven that you never know for sure who will be the blockbuster acts on the bill, but this year it may be harder than usual.

We’ve heard that Bowser’s Rock’n’Roll Party (Aug. 26) is returning due to popular demand, so expect a nice senior day crowd for that nostalgia fest. We’d also expect to see Southside Johnny (Aug. 29), Jason Derulo (Aug. 22) Phillip Phillips (Aug. 31) and the Eli Young Band (Aug. 28) to draw well.

Anne Burrell (Aug. 27 ) is this year’s celebrity chef, having campaigned for the gig as a Central New York native and there are some offbeat choices, the Bacon Brothers (Aug. 23) and MKTO (Aug. 31) among them.

Pending the announcement of the final two acts, one each for Aug. 23 and Aug. 24, the lineup is light on ethnic diversity as Derulo (pictured here in a photo from his website) is African-American as are the three members of Bell Biv Devoe (Aug. 30) and one of the duo MKTO. Bowser will likely introduce some African-American acts as part of his show.

We certainly understand that booking for the Fair is a complicated process and that you are limited by many factors in filling the bill. We also know that the Fair front office is staffed by hard-working people with integrity. Still, we’re a little uncomfortable with the ratio of acts that represent ethnic diversity. There are two shows left to book, so we’re hoping for movement in that direction.

The full schedule of shows at Chevy Court, the Grandstand, the Midway Music Series and the Regional Artists Stage are on the Fair website, nysfair.org.

There’s plenty to talk about as opening day of the 2014 New York State Fair approaches. The biggest story of the off-season is the contract the state has given to Wade Shows, Inc. to operate the midway, a role filled for decades by the James E. Strates Shows. Every Fair visitor and certainly every local media outlet will make comparisons and decide whether this was a good decision.

If you visit the Wade website, as we have several times, you’ll see a lot of rides and attractions that look familiar. Let’s face it, there are only so many rides available and so many ways to design the midway game joints and vendors, so it’s not unlikely that less attentive fairgoers may not even notice the change.

If your favorite ride isn’t on the lot (does Wade have a Top Spin?) you may be disappointed. Is the setup as large, as exciting, as much fun? If so, then the kids will be happy. But there are many ways to compare, so here are a few we thought of.

Wade has already announced sale prices of all-day ride wristbands ($20 advance, $25-$30 onsite) and a mega pass that will allow unlimited rides for all 12 days for $70. If there are exclusions or rides that are frequently unavailable, these deals won’t be quite so great. We haven’t seen anything announced regarding the price one or two rides instead of buying passes. Also to be determined is the duration of rides and the length of lines to get to the most popular ones.

Wade has promised more spots to relax and recharge for families who have spent hours dashing between rides. Shaded spots out of the mainstream to take a breath and offer respite for pavement-tired feet are always welcome.

Are the games fair and exciting? Are prizes winnable and desirable? How these may differ from Strates is intriguing.

How Courteous and friendly are employees? Staff should be on their best behavior in their Empire State debut, striving to make friends and court return customers.

The overall cleanliness and freshness of the midway is important and the efficiency of the operation and the convenience of the setup matter. Leo Brannick, the Strates Shows’ lot man won’t be drawing up the floor plan this year, so Wade Shows will be relying on their own specialists. The last few years Strates laid out their rides in an X-shaped alignment that has been an improvement over the traditional oval pattern. Let’s see how well the new guys figure it out.

The midway will certainly be a State Fair Hound destination on opening day and we’ll let you know what we see there.

The recently released New York State Fair Visitors Guide promises a new and unusual use of a famous Fair locale. The new exhibit being called History Underwater: Shipwrecks of the “Great” Great Lakes will incorporate into its presentation the reflecting pool in front of the Horticulture Building (so beautifully captured here by photographer Jude Nagurney Camwell).

An unmanned vehicle will be guided along the bottom of the pool and a remote sensing buoy will provide real-time weather conditions. It’s all part of what promises to be a spectacular exhibit which will also include a replica of an 18th century ship.

We’ve long advocated for demolition of the pool in favor of more space in the state parks area, perhaps replaced by a smaller but more inspiring fountain, one with less water but more splash. But this year, the Fair has found a way to use it creatively and it should be fascinating to see.