August | 2019 | State Fair Hound

Two peaceful, outdoor resting spots at the New York State Fair require you to go indoors to get there.

The underappreciated Horticulture Building courtyards are walled in on all sides while open air beckons above like skylights.

Trees and shrubbery provide beauty and shade, while benches and retaining walls provide seating, making it a perfect place to rest and snack on treats from nearby food vendors.

The Bob Case Memorial Garden and its twin courtyard flank the center space of the 53,000-suqare-foot Hort, large doors open to allow access.

The courtyards are among the special Fair retreats, known to many regulars visitors, but unnoticed by others.

Facial Expression

In Kids' Stuff

The smiling faces of kids roaming the new York State Fair are often enhanced by colorful paint, artfully applied at one of several tents around the grounds.

Kids love to feel a part of the festivities and wearing decorative make-up does the trick.

Look for the face painting tents, where you can let the kids get into the show while mom and dad take a break.

Small Stages

In Around the grounds

While Chevy Court and the Experience Stage hog most of the attention of music fans at the New York State Fair, There are plenty of stops around the grounds alive with live entertainment.

Local and regional acts play regularly in the Pan African Village, in several buildings, in the colonnade area and at various food stands.

Schedules can be hard to pin down for some of these venues, but check the Fair website and keep your ears open as you traverse the grounds. They may not be big names, but a smokin’ local act may be just right for a hot night at the Fair.

Park-a-Lounging

In New favorites

Organizers of the New York State Fair get a lot of requests from patrons and you have to give them credit for responding when possible. There is certainly more seating around the grounds now than in years past. Walking lanes are wider and more easily navigated. There’s more parking, more free musical entertainment and more rest rooms. All are improvements.

This year’s big push is the addition of green space, like this one on the site of the old sheep barn, dubbed Goat Park. The familiar pole-barn structure was demolished after being damaged in a storm over the winter (Barn Razing, May, 12, 2019).

It’s one of several new spots where visitors can get off the hot pavement for a relaxing few minutes on grass. Not only do the mini-parks provide oases for weary travelers, they add aesthetic beauty to the grounds. You might say the Fair looks good in green.

Friday is Native American Day at the Fair

In Blue ribbon exhibits

When you say “Native American” at the New York State Fair, chances are good that you mean the six nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, popularly called the Iroquois.

Of course, “Iroquois” is a French word for the allied nations–the Cayugas, Onondagas, Oneidas, Mohawks, Senecas and Tuscaroras–not the historically accurate term for the People of the Long House.

While the Fair has many fundamental characteristics, you can certainly say that it wouldn’t be our Fair without the indigenous inhabitants of our neighborhood. Every day they present native dancers, festooned in colorful and finely-detailed costumes, performing historically-significant and traditional dances on the turtle mound.

The bucolic serenity of the mini-reservation features home-cooked meals, prepared in the cook house surrounded by huts featuring Six- Nations crafts and exhibits. While you’re there, be sure to pick up a one-dollar bottle of water in the courtyard.

The Six Nations were here centuries before anyone called this part of the world “New York,” and it wouldn’t be the Fair without them.

Thursday is Armed Forces Day at the Fair

In Blue ribbon exhibits

The Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines will show off their stuff as the New York State Fair recognizes Armed Forces Day on Thursday.

The intimidating, high-tech weapons can be intoxicating to see, but don’t forget to contemplate the devastating affects of waging 21st century warfare, especially if you have children visiting with you.

A sober reminder of the costs of war will be part of the 11 a.m. ceremony in front of the monuments, engraved bricks and eternal flame in the designated Veteran’s Memorial area.

A parade starting at 6.m. will also honor vets and service members.

Lone Star Party

In Concert critiques

Southern rock band Midland lit up Chevy Court on Monday night touting their Texas roots and promoting their new release, Let It Roll. Attendance was mediocre, but the show was hot, with great harmony and smoking guitar work. You had to get the feeling that they’ll return, their ascending career promising that next time they’ll pack the place.

Wagon Train

In Blue ribbon exhibits

The venerable Agriculture Museum gets a lot of attention during the New York State Fair. Rightly so–it’s a real gem. But it’s little next-door neighbor–the Carriage Museum– is too often overlooked.

Many of the engineless vehicles on display there seemed to have been driven right out of vintage movies or from history books. There are many fascinating examples of wagons, carriages and buggies that were an indispensable part of mainstream American life before Henry Ford and his contemporaries revolutionized transportation.

The vintage chuckwagon presented by Cowboy Doug Corey adds a colorful and historic frontier dimension and there’s a working blacksmith shop in the back that features demonstrations throughout the Fair.

It’s free to visit and you’re likely to see pieces you won’t see anywhere else.

Thursday is Dairy Day at the Fair

In Livestock news

The Empire State is famous for its dairy products, with a whole building at the New York State Fair devoted to that industry.

Walk out the back door from the milk bar and take a right to tour the dairy cattle barn. Its rows of stalls are home to cows of many breeds and colors. Nearby are the milking parlor and a show rings where judging is held regularly.

Strolling the hay-littered rows between the stalls is among the most beloved annual traditions of Fair visitors. The many breeds of dairy cows are represented by animals that are at once imposing and adorable.

They seem to calmly accept the parade of visitors, the bovine paparazzi, gawking, petting and photographing them as they relax in their massive barn.

It’s certainly a departure from their daily lives in which they generally encounter only the humans who feed them, milk them, clean their stalls and occasionally provide veterinary care.

There is no better representative of New York agriculture than its dairy cows, the real stars of dairy day.

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