The Haudenosaunee welcome visitors to the Iroquois Village at the new York State Fair.
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With about a month to go to the opening of the new York State Fair, regulars can almost smell their favorite fried dough.
New York State Fair 2017 opens one month from today and advance sale tickets are on sale. There have been some changes, unfortunately, that will make the purchase of tickets and pre-paid ride cards trickier and more expensive for some customers.
Some advance admission and ride purchases are available online only and guess what—online purchases carry additional fees. Thus buyers save less than advertised and certainly less than in previous years.
Fortunately some tickets are still available at local retail outlets as in past years, which adds convenience and saves money. All of the buying options are outlined on the Fair website, nysfair.ny.gov.
One disappointing caveat revealed on the website is that flights on the midway’s new Sky Ride won’t be covered under the ride-all-day bracelet deal.
Expect tight security at this year’s New York State Fair. State Troopers keep watch from towers on the midway.
The first few days of the Fair features llamas guest starring in the goat and swine barn.
Projects at the New York State Fairgrounds are underway in several spots. The upgrade of the historic Iroquois Village continues as a new stage is being built for the traditional dancing performances. 
On the midway, concrete foundation footers are being installed to accommodate the debut of the Sky Liner ride, 
a ski lift-type line carrying seated riders above the entire length of the lot.
Meanwhile, one thing that won’t change is the location of the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que stand, which will continue to anchor its corner of the Chevy Court square.
The photo display inside the State Fair History exhibit evokes memories from 40 years of concerts on the grounds.
Campers can visit this lean-to behind the log cabin.
Recent news reports provide the proverbial good news and bad news as regards use of the mistake-by-the-lake amphitheater during the 2017 New York State Fair.
Earlier plans had pointed toward completion of the paving of the so-called orange lot in time for this year’s opening day, but that’s not happening. 
New blacktop should be lined and ready for the 2018 Fair, but for this year it’s the same old dusty surface we’ve come to love. That change should help improve conditions for everyone parking there, though it’s merely a small step toward real relief.
It appears that Fair patrons will be sharing that lot with amphitheater concert fans exactly twice, Aug. 25 and Aug. 26. Thus there are two consecutive evenings that will likely be more painful than usual to make the drive in for the Fair. That’s half as many as last year, but still two too many, especially since The Hound hasn’t heard anything in the way of planning that should mitigate the traffic jams and parking headaches that occurred last year.
Undaunted, the County Exec has demonstrated a sense of humor about the situation. The Post-Standard quoted her as saying that “When we’re done, we will be the most easily accessed (Amphitheater)” in the state. That kind of recklessly grandiose prediction suggests that Joanie is following the lead of the king of boastful BS, the arrogant sleezeball who has promised to make America great again.
Since this website is about the New York State Fair, let’s just breathe a sigh of relief that only two of our upcoming 13 days will be bring the frustration and challenges of dueling venues. It’s something to keep in mind when planning your visit.
Buggies are lined up in preparation for competition in the Coliseum.