With the decision from Gov. Hochul that the New York State Fair will resume its 13-day schedule next year, 
we can all start looking forward to that and to the return of the traditions and conventions we love in our Fair.
But first, let’s take a quick look back at what we just finished, the only 18-day State Fair in our history and likely the last, at least for a while. This year, people attending the Fair didn’t really know what to expect when they first passed through the gates. It was certainly not the Fair we’ve come to love, but if you gave it a chance, you could have had a great time there nonetheless.
While the absence of some of the most popular food stands dominated the headlines, many favorite vendors returned to their familiar locations from restaurant row to the Eatery to the Pan African Village and the colonnade. 
Food aside, most disappointing were the missing wine court, closed Agriculture Museum and lack of livestock, particularly the International Horse Show.
But Hawk Creek Wildlife Center, juggling comedian Hilby, the colorful Circus Hollywood, the delicate butterflies, wacky splashdowns of the Sinbad High Dive Show and one-man rock’n’roll band Bandoloni all returned to the cheers of Fair audiences, while the regal Iroquois Village welcomed us warmly beneath its majestic shade trees.
Additionally, there were great new features such as the daring parachuting skills of the all-women Highlight Pro Skydiving Team, the mobile virtuosity of the Strolling Piano, a wall of pop art from muralist Arcy and feats of strength from wisecracking Mighty Mike. The pink passion of strawberry milk brought back sweet memories of the Rainbow Milk Bar and the sheer number of big-stage concert acts gave nearly everyone music to enjoy.
The Latino Village is a work in progress, while the racing pigs and the WaterBark show weren’t as much fun as they sound and the sand sculpture, while still artistically amazing, was thematically pretty dull. Aside from the petting zoo, there were no wild animal acts, which is a step in the right direction.
Remember that you can submit ideas, criticisms, compliments and suggestions on the website, nysfair.ny.gov, where planning for 2022 is already underway.
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