You may spend most of your Fair cash on something tasty to eat on the grounds, but many vendors offer rarely-seen gift items you can take home as souvenirs of a wonderful day at the Fair. The Iroquois Village is a treasure trove of handmade jewelry, leather goods and decorative items that represent the ancient Haudenosaunee culture.

The Pan African Village is another venue for great keepsakes, most with Caribbean or African styling. Elsewhere you can find an enormous variety of great stuff from western wear to kitchen items and craft pieces, clothing, pet supplies and just about anything else you can name.

It’s never to early to start your holiday shopping, especially if you want to buy something you won’t see at the local mall.

Every day at the New York State Fair brings something different to entertain and excite. Several days include a parade, marching from The Chevy Court area, down Broadway to the new Exhibit Center.

Each parade has it’s own personality, with various bands, marchers and performers rotating through the lineup. Fire trucks, horseback riders, Fair royalty, sports cars, candy-throwing kids, antique vehicles, uniformed military and who-knows-what can be part of each event.

The traditional music and merriment are ever present and the stretched-out route makes it easy to get a good vantage point. Spectators love to wave at the procession and it’s a favorite of photography buffs.

Check the schedule and be ready for this venerable Fair tradition. Hint: It’s a thrill to watch from the Skyliner if you can time it right.

One dollar water isn’t the only thing missing at the New York State Fair this year.

Alert State Fair Hound reader Dave Murray asked what’s up with Footsie-Wootsie, not seen this year for the first time in memory. The vibrating foot massagers are an annual tradition for Fair enthusiasts, offering relief for just a quarter.

The Jerk Hut, a food stand in the Pan African Village from its the beginning, isn’t serving its Jamaican food this year. State Fair Hound has been told by neighboring vendors that Bongo Hanslip, the hut’s founder and driving force has been sidelined with an unspecified illness. Loyal customers no doubt miss the spicy-hot Caribbean  cuisine and the proprietor’s charming accent. The Hound joins them in wishing Bongo a speedy recovery and a return next Fair.

The Hound is surprised that there hasn’t been an uproar over the absence of the adorable whiskered ones known as the Sea Lion Splash. Their poolside antics have been a perennial favorite, but their usual spot in front of the Youth Building is dry this year.

And while there’s plenty of music being heard around the grounds, the one-man band virtuosity of Bandolini isn’t strutting to his rocking beat.

There’s so much terrific free entertainment at the State Fair, it seems almost greedy to ask about missing favorites. But Fair fans are such a traditional bunch, you know they miss what they aren’t seeing.

State Fair Hound has reached out for comment from the Fair and we’ll let you know when we hear back.

For many years one of the most familiar locales at the New York State Fair was known as Times Square. It was a famed crossroads that morphed from a spot marked by such popular food stands as Xristou’s, the Villa and Paisano’s to become known for a prominent, but underutilized clock tower and the Lottery building.

A couple of years ago, a massive renovation of the area completely reformed that section of the Fair and the updated Times Square is now best known as the gateway to a Fair-famous stretch named for another New York City venue–Broadway.

The busy boulevard, lined with many of the popular businesses that were relocated in the remodel, runs the length of the grounds, from the Milk Bar to the new event center, parallel to the Skyliner. It now hosts the Fair parades and provides access to the midway, many barns and other destinations.

It stands as a symbol of the new-look Fair and a reminder of how massive the grounds are, especially for those walking the entire east-west length. You can take the Skyliner, but if you decide to hike it, there are plenty of benches and tables to use as rest spots along the way.

Back in August 2015, State Fair Hound howled at a comment from one clueless guy on syracuse.com  who said he couldn’t find much to do at the New York State Fair. He said that after a couple of hours of eating, walking around the midway and touring some buildings, he was ready to go home. The Hound offered a response, still relevant and updated below.

First, if you’re wandering around until something catches your eye, you’re less likely to have a good time. Before heading over, ask yourself,  “What’s at the Fair that would make my day enjoyable?” Plan your visit with that in mind and you’re much more likely to great day on the grounds.

You name it, it’s at our Fair. There’s music, fine art, gardening, nature, livestock, cars, farming, antiques, cooking, wild animals, theater, trains, wine and beer, sports, science and medicine, a circus, Native American history and dance, African culture, crafts, hunting and fishing, food, food and more food from some of Central New York’s finest restaurants serving perennial culinary treats and exotic concoctions.

Not enough? Strolling acts like Hilby, Bandaloni and the Living Statues are hard to find anywhere else. The nearly-unique butter sculpture and the amazing sand sculpture are great fun. Free samples and prize drawings abound. And you already know about the midway, a world of entertainment in itself.

If you enjoy taking photos, you can spend the entire 13 days snapping pictures without repeating one. There’s no shortage of shopping, including many unusual items and those crazy things hyped on television infomercials. Even the sales pitches are entertaining.

Focus on the achievements and ideas of young New Yorkers in the Youth Building, the Talent Showcase, the FFA Exhibits Building and the animal barns. Hop on a tram and relax while enjoying a tour of the grounds or view it all from above on the Broadway Skyliner.

Do you have questions or need information about state government services? Many are here. You can pay your respects to veterans and remember 9-11 victims, attend worship services, register to vote, sign up to be an organ donor, play the State Lottery, investigate educational or professional opportunities or plan your next vacation.

There are many patrons who love to just sit with a meal or a drink and watch people pass by. Pull up a picnic table and take it all in. There are food stands that have a neighborhood tavern or sports bar atmosphere, complete with televised games. The whole show ends with dazzling fireworks.

No event, not even the Great New York State Fair, is for everybody. But if you don’t enjoy it, it’s not because there’s not enough there. For more on the wealth of entertainment at the Fair, scroll through the posts here on statefairhound.com and review the Fair’s website, www.nysfair.ny.gov.

The past few Fairs have reminded us how weather patterns can move in and affect  comfort levels, if not the actual attendance numbers during that two weeks.

Unbearable heat and humidity made 2015 a really tough year to get full enjoyment, especially on the steamy midway blacktop or on the hot, metal Chevy court benches. That is arguably the worst possible weather scenario for our Fair.

The following year was close to ideal and fans responded with record attendance as much happier folks toured the grounds. Last year was unseasonably cool for late August and early September, but it wasn’t really a problem for visitors and was likely welcomed by workers, especially those who work behind a sizzling grill or bubbling fryer. Cold drink and ice cream sales may have lagged a bit, but for the most part it was a successful Fair with more big attendance numbers.

So what should we expect this year? We don’t know for sure, of course, but Accuweather is predicting mostly dry conditions and moderate temperatures with a high reading of 85 degrees on September 1. Sounds great, but weather being what it is, we can’t count on predictions this far out.

So prepare for the worst while hoping for the best.