The 2022 New York State Fair was something of a reunion for those who present the Fair and those who attend, with many–though certainly not all–popular vendors and exhibitors back and fans coming out in good-enough numbers to call it a successful return to almost normal.

Highlights included the fascinating World of Horses barn, the poolside antics of Sea Lion Splash, the daring Highlight Pro Women’s Skydiving Team, the return of most livestock and a sprinkling of good concerts in an overall drab lineup.

Familiar favorites included the historic and exciting Iroquois Village, five parades down Broadway, a somewhat less-elaborate-than-usual sand sculpture, the fantastic Hawk Creek Birds of Prey show, Circus Hollywood and the inimitable Hilby. Throw in the Strolling Piano, Bandoloni, a timely butter sculpture, magician Steve Trash and Mighty Mike and no one could say they didn’t get their three bucks worth.

Tours of the Agriculture Museum and State Fair History Exhibit never get old. The highly-touted NYS Energy exhibit and the Skilled Trades and the Manufacturing display lacked Fairworthy dazzle, but made use of large building space while appealing to a limited segment of visitors. Talent Showcase, model trains and 4-H horse competitions were missed.

Mostly-decent, though widely varied, weather conditions and generally well-controlled traffic made attending easy. Some prices were higher, reflecting the trend outside the Fairgrounds, but some were consistent with past years. Great food and and drink never disappoints.

Overall, Sean Hennessey’s first Fair at the helm was a triumph and a tribute to the impressive team that stages New York’s greatest event year-after-year.

There’s much more to say in review and plenty of ideas for the future–all coming up in future posts on State Fair Hound. But first, we all need some rest.

You may have seen on the NewsChannel 9 website that some patrons of the New York State Fair are complaining that lottery tickets haven’t been sold at the Fair this year.

It’s hard to believe that buying Lotto tickets is such a vital part of the Fair experience for some visitors. Come on, folks–you can get your gambling fix at thousands of locations any day of the year. Until then, scroll through our posts here on State Fair Hound, study the Fair website or just pick up a free visitors’ map at any gate in order to find a hundred ways to enjoy the Fair.

You can buy Lotto the next time you go out to the supermarket or convenience store near home. For now, just spend your cash on fried dough or a ride on the SkyLiner. That way you’re guaranteed to get something for your money.

A few days ago Newschannel 9 reported that several customers at a recent Amphitheater concert were victimized when the credit cards they used for purchases at a show were used to make fraudulent charges.

The no-cash policy becoming common at event venues, including our beloved Fair, doesn’t only inconvenience patrons and discriminate against people who lack the means to carry a credit card, it also presents additional and unnecessary security risks.

Unless the governor and her team come to their senses, this will be the second State Fair that refuses to accept cash to purchase admission tickets or pay for parking. Apparently it’s advantageous for the state, but it’s not for the rest of us. It was only a matter of time until criminals found a way to take advantage of the proliferation of plastic money flashing around the grounds to steal from patrons and their banks.

What could be simpler–or safer–than pulling into a Fair parking lot and handing the attendant a five-dollar bill? It’s clearly time to reverse this ridiculous policy and let money do the talking at the Fair.

Planning for the 2022 New York State Fair is underway–at least it should be. It’s hard to say what’s really happening  as there has been no recent press release and none of Kathy Hochul’s underlings are saying anything.

The first performer booked to play a major stage show, the Art of Rap, was announced on Dec. 6. A steady stream of scheduled acts followed, a total of 15 shows, the most recent being City Girls, announced April 1. Since then there has not been an act announced or anything else coming from the Fair, unless you count vague responses to questions about the baffling situation that led to the departure of  a successful, dedicated and popular Fair Director, Troy Waffner.

At this point, we should have been given most of the itinerary for the Chevrolet Concert Series. We should also be hearing about all of the food, fun and entertainment to which we can look forward with less than 11 weeks to go. State Fair Hound contacted the Fair a few days ago to ask what’s going on and to request an honest, reasonable explanation for Waffner leaving while a newcomer with no apparent fair experience comes in to run the Fair this year. There has been no reply.

NewsChannel 9 reporter Andrew Donovan reported that a Fair spokesperson–it’s likely that it was Dave Bullard, but he wasn’t named–said that Troy is “fine.” We hope that’s true. Since Troy has taken another job with Agriculture and Markets, it seems reasonable to assume that it is. So what happened and will anyone tell the people of New York to whom the State Fair belongs?

Longtime Fair fans can’t help but be reminded of 1995, George Pataki’s first Fair as Governor, when he made the moronic and completely political decision to replace Director Wayne Gallagher, a consummate professional and one of the best directors ever. The first potential director considered to replace Gallagher–a political appointee with little to qualify him (sound familiar?) was ultimately withdrawn and local businessman Peter Cappuccilli, Jr. served a one-year apprenticeship as Gallagher’s assistant director before becoming an excellent director in his own right.

Now, Gov. Hochul lives down to Pataki’s standards in belatedly naming a questionable, though temporary, replacement to a first-rate director while she offers no reasonable explanation. Meanwhile, it’s been 10 weeks since the Fair announced a concert or anything else about the 2022 edition.

This is unacceptable and completely avoidable. All the Gov had to do is concentrate on other pressing issues, stay the hell out of the way and allow Waffner to run the Fair. A recent editorial in the Post-Standard and syracuse.com said “Take politics out of the State Fair: Hire a professional to run it.” In fact Waffner, though he may have benefited from political connections in first being hired, had become as good a pro as we could find anywhere.

But he’s gone and the silence from the State Fair administration is deafening.

While the 2021 New York State Fair had its highs and lows, the big stage in the wide-open prairie at the western end of the grounds–recently renamed Chevy Park–really came into its own as a concert venue. The huge crowds that gathered near the pond for shows  during this year’s Fair demonstrated that the massive, slightly sloping lawn can provide a satisfying experience for tens of thousands of fans.

There were a few food vendors nearby, but expansion of amenities is both likely and necessary as the development of the site moves forward. Great things should be expected in the future for that venue, but there a few questions to ponder.

First, isn’t the burgeoning potential at Chevy Park proof that a state-of-the-art concert venue should have been built there as a permanent part of the Fairgrounds? The poorly-conceived and sadly mismanaged Lakeview Amphitheater continues to disappoint fans and interfere with State Fair events from its toxic waste bed site. Really, have you ever heard and read as many complaints and criticisms of a concert setting in local media?

If the venue was where it should be–the site of Chevy Park–it would support the State Fair by thrilling fans and providing patronage to vendors while lighting up the proverbial marquee with illustrious names. Sure, the park does those things now, but a well-run, ticketed venue of that size could book top acts that are financially impossible in the current free format. We would only hope that the promoter would do a better job than what’s happening at the amp.

But we’re stuck with Randy Andy’s dumb decision, so the focus now should be maximizing the Chevy Park experience. It all starts with the stage and planners should be considering whether a permanent stage should be constructed on that site.

The stage that was used this year was nicely done, but it was built just for the Fair only to be dismantled after Labor Day. Thus, absent the construction of a year-round stage there, another temporary structure will be necessary for the 2022 Fair. That could be workable as it was for decades with the grandstand stage, but it seems reasonable that the one-time erection of something permanent would be more cost effective over the long run.

Such a move would allow for three seasons of shows there, remembering that consideration of stage orientation would be necessary as as fans currently face west into the setting sun. With most late August Fair concerts starting at 8 p.m., the sun is nearly out of sight before the music starts, but earlier in the summer it would be a problem.

Such a permanent venue would be great spot for large music festivals and multi-day events. There would need to be serious discussion of how it would conflict with the amp as there are certainly similarities between the two venues. There are also significant differences as the Fairgrounds offers use of the nearby camping facilities and possibly some of the Fairgrounds’ other services, such as food stands, vendor space and maybe even the Chevy Court site.

Even if such an undertaking never happens, Fair music fans should be excited about the future of Chevy Park, especially in concert (pun intended) with Chevy Court.

It was a strange experience–visiting our beloved friend to find it oddly unfamiliar. But the 2021 New York State Fair hewed to the old adage and the show did indeed go on.

Attendance was low on the five-days-earlier opening day with overheated crowds finally admitted to the soggy Fairgrounds at the far-too-late time of 11 a.m. Unsurprisingly, long lines of patrons arrived hours prior to the designated time.

Once inside, the 2021 experience was bittersweet in numerous ways. Some events, exhibits and vendors were back and terrific as always, but others were missing. Visitors sometimes found closed or downsized areas where their traditional favorites had been.

For a second straight year, dedicated 4-H kids were left out of an event for which they put in a lot of hard work and preparation, so they paid a higher price than most of us. And the absence of farm animals left a huge void as empty barns were downright depressing.

The number of free-with-admission concerts presented was stunning, boosting attendance at times as the newly christened Chevy Park stage continued its impressive growth. But the much lower turnstile  numbers significantly hurt the bottom line for many a Fair business, so before we complain about things we missed, let’s remember their pain.

Still, there was a lot to like about the Fair and the future holds great promise, starting with the unlimited potential of concerts and events at Chevy Park (more on that in an upcoming post on State Fair Hound), maximization of the Expo Center, the return of youth participation and livestock shows, more thrilling special events like the skydiving exhibition, continued excellence on the Wade Shows midway, strong re-emergence of significant vendors who skipped or downsized this year and fresh thinking from a new governor who may value customer input, leading to renewed fan enthusiasm and support.

Overall, the headline is that the New York State Fair went on without significant problems or troubling incidents, which is a shining tribute to Fair administration and workers, whose often-invisible contributions deserve our appreciation, especially in this difficult year. While the Fair serves primarily to entertain us, this unusual one also demonstrated that we will overcome the challenges of the past two years, due mainly to the spirit that led us to soldier on through the challenges of 2021.

At closing time on Thursday, as Labor Day weekend looms, we look toward the last four days of the 2021 New York State Fair.

While it hasn’t lived up to all of our hopes and dreams, it gave us something to celebrate and savor, like this sunset over the midway we shared with our new friend Vanessa on Wednesday.

There’s still plenty of music, entertainment, thrills and tasty treats at the Fair and vendors desperately need to see more customers.

So make the most of the predicted pleasant weather and take advantage of bargain admission prices by taking a last trip or two to the Fair. After last year, we have learned that it shouldn’t be taken for granted.

If you need another reason to go, horses have finally arrived for some Coliseum appearances and goats are bleating in their barn, at least for some of the weekend.

Bandoloni is stomping out classic tunes and Hilby is as hilarious as ever. Both guys will play daily from here on out.

The Fair will close with a bang as fireworks burst above on Monday night.

Three of the most historically significant exhibits at the New York State Fair aren’t open to visitors this year. But don’t blame Fair organizers for keeping fans out of the perennially popular State Fair History gallery in the Grange Building, the antique-rich Agriculture Museum and the quaint Carriage Museum.

If more of our fellow New Yorkers had shut down their so-called social media feeds, turned off extremist “news” channels and substituted a modicum of common sense, we’d be further removed from viral threats and better positioned to get close to each other while touring these small, but delightful buildings. Vaccinated people could also ditch those annoying masks currently required in Fair buildings.

It’s disturbing that responsible and reasonable citizens, who were smart enough to get their shots, have to lose out on some of the best things in life, including at the Fair, because too many misguided nitwits get their medical advice from anti-social media feeds or sleazy politicians instead of medically qualified sources. It’s not callous for vaccinated folks to be angry that the shortsightedness of others is negatively impacting all of us.

Maybe it’s trivial to complain about having to miss out on beloved Fair exhibits when some of these ignorant neighbors may soon face much greater problems.