When Labor Day weekend arrives and the Fair winds down, we encourage Fair fans to take stock of what makes them love the Fair. As much as we enjoy the new features–and this year there have been many—It’s the traditions we cherish most. For native Central New Yorkers, Fair memories start in childhood, so make at least one more trip to our beloved annual expo and make sure the kids get more than crazy rides and junk food.
Stop at the sheep barn to see how much care and hard work goes into raising them, then cross the street to the wool center to see how the wool is processed and woven into yarn. See kids, the clothes don’t just come from a Chinese factory. There are people with dedication and skill who make them in New York.
Kids seem to love watching the bees at the honey strand in the Horticulture Building. The better, healthier sweetener is made for us by insects and brought to us through the labor and expertise of New York beekeepers.
After gulping a cup of New York milk at the Rainbow Milk Bar (shouldn’t they bring back strawberry or change the name?), cross the street to the dairy barn and watch those youngsters doing the heavy lifting and painstaking care that produces that milk. If you time it right, you can watch the milking being done.
While there, tell the kids to look into the huge eyes of the heifers and consider the importance of laws and practices that insure humane treatment of dairy animals and livestock in general. New York has organic farms and small family operations that are more likely to meet humanitarian standards.
There’s plenty of diversity in New York, demonstrated at the Fair at the Iroquois (let’s drop the word “Indian”) Village and the Pan African Village. It’s a good time to celebrate the food, artwork, dancing and history of various cultures, all part of our home state’s heritage.
Skip the petting zoo and instead see the Hawk Creek birds of prey and the Wolves of the World, where kids can see nature’s awe-inspiring predators up close and learn why it’s important that they be protected and preserved. Respect for wildlife is a life lesson that can start young at the Fair.
There’s little time left, but remember, Labor Day admission is only a dollar. Get the family out there as a summer send-off, before the kids have to face that other “s” word. Sure, eat fried dough and hit the midway, but also explore for the exciting, painless lessons that will create Fair memories that last long after the sugar rush and dizziness subside.
Photos of cows and eagle by Nick LoPresti.
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