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.