With the annual concert by Herman’s Hermits featuring charismatic singer Peter Noone finished,  the New York State Fair approaches the halfway point.

The first six days have gone smoothly with weather good and spirits high. The headlining appearance of the Dinosaur Expedition in the Exposition Center has been predictably popular, while traditional favorites from the Sea Lions Splash to the Iroquois dances, Hawk Creek birds and the Circus Hollywood have been filling bleachers.

Fair fans love a bargain, so buck-a-spud potato eaters are lining up as always, while quarters are being plunked down at the milk bar and dropped into Footsie-Wootsie slots. Parents are keeping costs down by guiding their kids to great free entertainment, starting with those dinosaurs and sea lions to adorable baby goats, gurgling tanks of fish in the DEC aquarium, a grassy playground in the Expo and a mini-golf course near the eatery.

Heading toward a collision with Labor Day weekend, patrons anticipate the arrival on Tuesday of beloved performer Hilby for three shows daily. While attendance is always affected by the weather, the upcoming weekend is usually the best-attended stretch of the Fair.

The 4-H kids will be showing their precious miniature horses throughout the day on Thursday at the outdoor show ring near the beef cattle barn and pigs have taken over half of the goat and swine barn.

Inside the Horticulture Building, the sweet aroma of flowers will fill the air as dahlias, gladiolus and roses take turns filling the center section of the building.

If you’re looking for a reason to attend, don’t bother with the uninspiring concert lineup, just focus on the great variety of entertainment and the fabulous food.

To avoid the Labor Day weekend crush, do a weekday if you can.

Get ready–The Great New York State Fair opens Wednesday. Don’t miss it!

Check back daily for an insider’s view of the Fair and dozens of new photos from State Fair Hound.

The fun comes to you as you stroll through the New York State Fair, beginning in two weeks.

The resurgent New York State Fair coasts to a stop on Labor Day Monday, though   the weather forecast may discourage some fans from going out. If predictions for a wet day 13 are accurate, you can still have a great time at the Fair.

As always, waterproof shoes and a tough rain jacket are the best defensive measures for a foul weather, but don’t forget that there’s dazzling indoor entertainment on the grounds. The buildings mentioned in the previous post are a good place to start. Animal barns will be dry, though some livestock may begin their departure during the day.

The Circus Hollywood goes on under the traditional big top, just west of the Expo Center at 1:30, 4:30 and 7:30. It’s relatively small in size, but hugely entertaining with clowns, acrobats, aerialists and jugglers making for a non-stop thrill ride.

You can tour the Art and Home Center for hours, enjoying an impressive fine arts competition, creative crafts and inspiring culinary feats. Eco-magician Steve Trash performs in the theater at 11, 3 and 5 p.m. and you may be able to catch a cooking demonstration in the lower-level kitchen.

Other major buildings will be open until 9 p.m. with vendors, exhibitors and entertainment. Use a little imagination and you can squeeze out one more great day at the Fair.

Weather permitting, a burst of fireworks over the grounds will close things out after the final Chevy Park show.

The final day of the 2022 New York State Fair is Monday with the observance of Labor Day. The traditional parade kicks off near the cow birthing center at the western end of the grounds at 10:30. Following the procession down Broadway, unions will rally down near Chevy Court.

After the parade has passed, you can go just off Broadway to enjoy displays of vintage items from hardware and tools to fabric, cookware and furniture in the Agricultural Museum. While there, you can  take in talks and demonstrations by exhibitors who have solid expertise on the artifacts on display and are there to answer  questions and chat with visitors.

Right next door is the the Carriage Museum, home to fascinating antique vehicles including wagons, buggies, carriages and sleighs. This year we missed Cowboy Doug and his western chuck wagon exhibit, but we’re told he may return next year. The clanging of hammer on anvil shaping red-hot iron highlights a live blacksmithing demonstrations in the back of the building.

If you haven’t gone into the Grange Building–next to the poultry barn–this year, don’t miss visiting the State Fair History exhibit. It should be an annual stop on the route for every Fair visitor, though it’s generally updated only a little from year to year. After 175 years of the New York State Fair, there’s plenty of history and much of it is on display. Still, it’s one of those displays where you may notice something different every year.

With special emphasis on the origins of the Fair, the Strates Shows’ long run here and the contributions of the Iroquois, every true Fair lover gets a warm feeling walking through this treasure trove of memories and tradition.

The photo gallery of performers who have drawn crowds to the various stages is a sure-fire favorite for music fans who may fondly recall shows featuring Sonny and Cher, the Beach Boys, the Supremes, Vince Gill, the Four Tops, Bowser and the Charlie Daniels Band among other memorable acts.

It’s dollar day with all rides except the Broadway SkyLiner priced at a buck.

The Fair wraps on Monday with buildings and the midway closing at 9 p.m.

The cavernous Exposition Center will this year will be a part of the New York State Fair for the fourth time since opening and it’s time to make it a more prominent part of the festivities.

To be honest, the Expo has primarily been an off-season venue, used for a wide variety of shows and events. It has made something of a comeback since the depressing events of 2020, booking many events and making the $62 million price tag seem like a wise investment in the future of our Fairgrounds.

But for the most part, despite its enormous potential, it’s hasn’t been a focal point during the Fair itself. Last year military aircraft dominated the space and they’re back this year along with an I Love NY tourism zone and a play field for kids. They really have to do better programming the Expo.

The Hound has previously mentioned that Fair officials don’t want to bring a circus inside because they want to preserve the cleanliness that performing animals may tarnish. But how about a non-animal, Cirque De Soleil-type show? It could be spectacular inside the Expo.

Other options could be a sports entertainment show–you know, basketball tricks, acrobats, maybe even Hilby–indoor concerts or theater. Movies and sports have been screened inside and that’s always an option.

Looking west from Expo, Beef Day is observed annually on the grounds. This year it’s Tuesday.

Every day of the Fair, visitors can  tour the pole barn at the far western end of the grounds where they will see dozens of massive bovines in residence. They represent the New York beef industry and all of the various breeds including Angus, Hereford, Charolais, shorthorn and others. Both adult and youth owners will show their livestock. Special events include hay bale throwing competitions.

The spacious pole barn was built more recently than most other barns to house hundreds of steers. They’re bigger and scarier than the more familiar dairy cattle and you certainly aren’t likely to reach over to scratch their heads. Still, it’s worth a trip past Talent Showcase and the Cow Birthing tent to meet these bulky bovines, though it may depress your desire for burgers after looking into their soulful eyes.

There’s a show ring where the beefers are judged and it’s a memorable sight to see handlers tugging and pushing the big guys around the dirt floor. It’s nothing like training your dachshund, that’s for sure.

Tuesday is also Fire and Rescue Day as active and retired first responders are admitted free. They will parade down Broadway beginning at 6 p.m.

Our first look at the 2022 edition of the New York State Fair was very different from last year’s event and that’s great news. Gone are the omissions and restrictions imposed in 2021 as health precautions and nobody misses them. That was following the nightmare of 2020, when the Fair was cancelled. So this year we’re back to our more traditional Fair which we haven’t seen since 2019 and it’s a wonderful feeling.

Day one dawned brightly and it was a lovely day to enjoy the Fair. The area around Chevrolet Court got bustling early, sunlight glistening across the reflecting pool as visitors strolled past the State Parks exhibits or relaxed on a bench at the pond edge.

Fans had yet to invade Chevy Court to grab seats for the afternoon concert by Steven Page or the evening show featuring Jimmie Allen. The neat rows of metal benches were surrounded by lush green lawn. The pathetic lineup of concerts this year will likely mean less demand for those benches.

Many vendors and exhibitors were scrambling to finalize their set-up in the first few hours after the gates opened. Two very rainy days prior to opening no doubt delayed preparations.

Inside the Center of Progress, artists were still in the early stages of carving the sand sculpture, so the theme had yet to be revealed.

The grounds looked sparkling clean and staff was welcoming.

One low point is that many prices seem to be higher than in previous years–the Fair is affected no less than the rest of the world, though maple ice cream is still six dollars and still delicious.

It’s obvious that increased picnic areas continue to be a priority and there are many tables, especially since the Central Park area isn’t hosting shows this year.

The three days leading up to the first weekend aren’t usually too crowded, so with mostly good weather being forecast, Thursday and Friday should be good days to visit.