Work continues on the Fairgrounds as demolition of the track and infield areas appears to be complete. As State Fair Hound reported earlier, the food stands that once lined the fence behind the International Pavilion and the Poultry Building, heading down to the midway staging area are gone. Also missing is the Times Square Tower, built not that long ago and the subject of a Hound post (Times Square A-changin’, Sep. 15, 2015) that is now rendered irrelevant.

The Hound will keep track of new developments and report on progress made toward the expansive upgrade of the grounds currently under construction.

In case you were wondering, all of the major buildings, the livestock barns and the Restaurant Row food stands are all intact with no plans announced to change that. The racing stables, visible beyond the flattened infield area in the photo at left, are also being preserved.

We’ve officially hit the halfway point between last year’s New York State Fair and this year’s Aug. 25 opening day. There’s always tremendous anticipation as news about the coming Fair starts to trickle out, the first Chevy Court announcement, having come with the naming of the classic soul band the Commodores as the headliners for Aug. 30.

As Fair fans know, this year is especially exciting as major construction is underway to make improvements on the grounds. But before the bigger, state-of-the-art campground, the expanded, modernized midway and the automated, accessible main gate can be debuted, builders have to make a mess and that they have done. A recent visit to the grounds was somewhat stunning as demolition and excavation have rendered parts of our beloved Fairgrounds unrecognizable.

The entire infield and midway areas are leveled and fenced off. Surprisingly, even the Lottery Pavilion, formerly the Paisano stand, is gone. So far, the Chevy Court stage building is still standing. Looking at these exclusive State Fair Hound photos, it’s hard to believe that the new stage, along with all of the other first-phase projects will be completed for Syracuse Nationals, now less than five months away.

The New York State Fair Grandstand will go out with a bang on Saturday as explosives will be used to collapse the site of so many memorable Fair concerts, the Syracuse Mile harness racing series and more than a few Super Dirt Weeks.

The gaping hole left in the Fair infrastructure will, no doubt, provide a stunning view for longtime Fair fans. The excitement of new construction will follow close behind as crews move in to transform the area for next year.

The layout plan released by the Fair indicates that the new RV park will take up most of the vacated ground, with the enlarged midway alongside. For those locals who complain that the Fair never changes, 2016 will be your year.

As snow flurries pelt the Fairgrounds on this New Year’s Day, there may not be many people thinking about the Aug. 25 opening of the 2016 New York State Fair. But there’s going to be a lot of action over the next eight months, so true believers should be excited that this year at our favorite festival will be like none before it.

The clock has struck midnight for the soon-to-be-demolished Grandstand and track, and State officials are in the process of hiring a construction firm to renovate the main gate, expand the midway area and prepare the new, relocated RV park.

While State Fair Hound and all Fair aficionados always look ahead with anticipation, this year will be one for the history books and this winter will bring unprecedented activity during the Fair’s off-season.

We’re now just over three months since New York State Fair 2015 closed on Labor Day and the Fair’s website tells us that there are 260 days left until next year’s expo begins with the opening of a brand new main gate.

More exciting though, is the plan for a new midway. It will be larger with a different set-up location and modified orientation. More rides are in the plan, maybe some we haven’t seen here before. Wade Shows’ midway—seen here in Nick LoPresti’s overhead shot–has been impressive in its first two years here, so it’s not too soon to feel exhilaration over prospects for the big redesign.

The New York State Fair’s ambitious plan to replace the Chevrolet Court stage includes building a new, larger stage and a two-story backstage building, moving the whole structure back and taking out the grassy area now behind it. The relocation means more space in front for fans to gather.

Fair Acting Director Troy Waffner told State Fair Hound that even more viewer space will be created by reducing the roadways on adjoining the court by covering half the space with grass. The current projection is for enough area in front of the new, higher stage to accommodate up to 40,000 fans comfortably. That would be quite an accomplishment as you may recall that most of the estimated 36,900 fans present for the Sep. 6 Steve Miller Band concert were decidedly uncomfortable.

Thus, management of the crowds goes beyond creating space. To that end, the plan calls for walkways created within the court area and plenty of video projection screens for those far from the stage.

State Fair Hound wonders how much work can be done during the winter to get this project completed by Syracuse Nationals’ 2016 run. That’s another reason to hope for a mild winter.

A weekend visit to the Fairgrounds revealed that a trio of longstanding eateries behind the Horticulture Building have been demolished as renovations in that area begin. Davoili’s Trackside, Gianelli and the Shamrock are now a part of Fair history.

DavoIi’s, one of the grounds’ larger stands, was known for a huge traditional menu, served morning until night. Gianelli has long been one of the most popular sausage stands, one sought out be hungry patrons as an every-year stop. The Shamrock, sporting a replica of Syracuse’s famous green-on-top traffic light, featured a festive atmosphere with a variety of cold beers and frequent live entertainment. All three benefited from their proximity to the Grandstand, serving concert and motorsports fans, both before and after events.

It’s understandable that the view of the now-vacant area will trigger some melancholy feelings from Fair regulars who will miss these venerable establishments.

A second look, however, should lead to genuine optimism. Looking at the fence and track beyond, the area opens up and with it, the Fair’s exciting future. The promise of major improvements grows out of the departure of some old favorites, including these popular stands.

Fair Acting Director Troy Waffner revealed to State Fair Hound that he is working with the owners of the now-missing stands to relocate them to new spots from which they can continue to serve their loyal customers. All three joints had deteriorated over the years and would have required major renovation or replacement to continue.

Don’t expect new buildings, though. Waffner pointed out that building new stands that that meet requirements for functionality and durability is very expensive. Tents or other temporary construction are currently the more desired methods and one that has worked well for such regular vendors as Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Tully’s and the Butcher Boys while keeping the grounds versatile and flexible year round.

Meanwhile, the Fair continues to prepare the site for new structures, an expanded midway, improved RV facilities, landscaping and an equine center. The Grandstand/infield area will have to be ready next summer for the return of Syracuse Nationals several weeks before the Fair. So will the new Chevy Court setup, which The Hound will address in an upcoming post.

If all goes according to plan, the tasty food and fun times, for which so many Fair vendors are famous, will be available, some relocated, while the restructuring of the grounds will make this the most exciting and dynamic New York State Fair in memory.

With Super Dirt Week having taken its final checkered flag at the Fairgrounds track, the sun is now setting over the Grandstand. The new possibilities and boundless potential that will be created with demolition of the century-old racetrack and the concrete-and-steel stadium must now overtake the sense of loss of the historic facility.

It’s understandable that racing fans are disappointed that their beloved one-mile dirt oval will fade into history. But it came down to the making a decision to use that area for more than Dirt Week and a couple of Fair events. For some fans it’s a tragic loss. For the New York State Fair, it’s a new chapter.

The New York State Fair’s estimate of the Sep. 6 Steve Miller Band concert attendance caught State Fair Hound by surprise. The official count was 36,900, the largest audience to ever gather in Chevy Court.

The Hound was on hand that fateful night and there’s no doubt that the mob filling the courtyard and spilling out into the surrounding streets was massive to the point of being barely navigable, even at its fringes. But it didn’t seem to be a large as some previous shows.

The Fair has a method for estimating crowd size, based upon a grid system that looks at defined areas with previously-determined capacities and adding up the occupied areas. There’s no reason to doubt the Fair’s accuracy in reporting what they saw and, when you come down to it, the actual numbers aren’t as important as other essential questions with an enormous crowd such as that one.

More critical than actually counting the people within earshot of the stage should be estimating how many of them were actually able to have an overall positive experience at the event. We should be thinking about safety and a reasonable expectation that those in attendance can overcome the discomfort and enjoy the music.

Regulating the crowd has proven difficult. Attempts to control the spacing and movement of that many fans with temporary fencing has been largely unsuccessful, in some cases making the situation worse by creating barriers to people spreading out or moving out of overcrowded areas. The rule prohibiting smoking at Chevy Court, instituted this year and heartily endorsed by The Hound, was largely ignored and there is logically nothing that security staff could do about it, although it may help to make the signs listing the rules were more prominent.

Having witnessed such chaos, it’s clearly good news that the Chevy Court stage and the adjoining building are being replaced, presuming that will improve conditions. However, the big question remains. Is it possible to keep bringing major acts, perhaps even more popular than ones recently presented, drawing tens of thousands of fans to that area, in a way that is comfortable, safe and enjoyable for the fans? It seems very unlikely.

There could be improvements, no question. The stage could be higher and more visible, enhanced by larger video projection screens. Maybe it could be moved back a bit to create more room to gather in front of the performance. The very popular Dinosaur Bar-B-Que stand could no doubt survive relocation to free up space, unless there are contractual obligations preventing it. Moving some vendor space out of the surrounding streets could help, but vendors provide revenue, so that’s a drawback. And you can’t expect Chevrolet to move its display out of the venue named for it.

Really, you can only create so much space in that area, probably not enough. On the other hand, the option of toning down the popularity of the acts playing there seems counterproductive.

There may be, however, a solution to the problem of hosting large, free concerts at the Fair in a way that makes them more manageable and more enjoyable for fans. The demolition of the Grandstand and the plowing under of the racetrack create opportunities to reconfigure the area freed up. Moving the free stage is one option worthy of consideration. Plans have been announced for changes in the Fairgrounds that involve use of some of this newly-available turf, but no ground has been broken, no bricks have been laid, so there’s still time for tweaking. There’s a lot of space back there, so this could work.

If the concert venue moved, the ground that is currently Chevy Court would then be available for new activities, perhaps still involving entertainment from the stage, but more manageable in audience size, allowing the stage to then be preserved as is. More picnic grounds, a better area for wandering entertainers like Hilby to perform and versatile demonstration, performance and exhibit space are among the ideas that could benefit from such a multi-use area.

One big drawback would certainly be that there are few Fair locales as prominent and as pretty as the grassy, tree-lined court area, surrounded by those handsome buildings and close to the wine court, restrooms and food stands. It would be hard to match that ambience, charm and convenience in the Grandstand/infield area, essentially an open field, lacking shade and amenities.

Could such disadvantages be overcome? Maybe, with tents, canopies, pavilions and landscaping. Some permanent infrastructure would be needed as well. It would definitely take significant planning and creativity, but it’s an idea worth a look.

If Chevy Court stays put, it’s going to take major changes to handle crowds better than they have been managed. Finding a way to maximize the impact and success of those performances is surely a tough call, especially because the show has to be ready to go on August 25, 2016. It’s a difficult task, but one surely worth taking on, since free concerts have become the biggest draw at the Fair. Good luck, Fair planners.

The Thursday New York State Fair attendance of 66,447 seems to bear out State Fair Hound’s prediction that a well-attended concert at the new amphitheater would do little to benefit business down the hill at the Fair. Like most fans, the Hound chose between these two events (guess which one) rather than negotiate the shuttle system or hike the Orange Lot Trail, overlooking this lovely landscape, to do both.

Syracuse.com entertainment reporter Chris Baker confused us a bit in writing that while Miranda Lambert’s maiden show “didn’t fill the 17,500-person venue, it came pretty close,” then saying in the next sentence that there was “lots of room to spare on the lawn.”

While the Hound doesn’t know exactly what that means, absent actual attendance figures, let’s say there were 12,000 to 15,000 at the new joint. In years past, a concert that drew that many to the Grandstand would boost gate counts and produce some impressive numbers, but 66,447 isn’t all that impressive. Also, don’t forget that Jason Derulo had a massive crowd estimated at 24,800 at Chevy Court and, at the same time, Patti LaBelle, playing the final Grandstand show, had about 7000 seats filled, according to Acting Director Troy Waffner.

No doubt, the hot, humid weather convinced some potential fairgoers to postpone their visit, but the dueling-venues conflict played a big part in the modest turnstile totals. Unless the Fair can figure out a way to get concert fans down to the grounds, we’ll see this become a pattern. Of course, this is an issue created by Cuomo and his BFF, Joanie Mahoney.

So what do you say, Gov? Ready to pony up for a monorail? One thing we know he won’t do is admit that the off-site stage wasn’t such a great idea for our New York State Fair because he sure didn’t listen to those who tried to make that point prior to construction.