Going Long

Since you’re reading a blog about the New York State Fair, you probably think that the longer the Fair runs, the better. But there are some issues that make it seem that extending its run from 13 to 18 days is a questionable decision, especially this year.

For starters, a significant number of the food stands, vendors and exhibitors have cited the difficulty of staffing their operations for 18 days as a reason that they won’t be participating this year. It’s logical to expect that having workers on hand for 13 days would have been tough this year, since many year-round businesses, especially restaurants, have found retaining  adequate numbers of employees challenging. So six more days have made it impossible for some Fair vendors.

The 18-day plan was hatched before anyone ever heard of that damned virus and even then it sounded ambitious. Fair Director Troy Waffner has been quoted in print as saying that his team has been stressed in getting ready on short notice, having had to wait for the green light from the Gov before getting all of the prep work–and there’s a ton of prep work–underway. Once again, the additional days had to make it that much harder.

For a Fair that only expanded to 13 days in 2017, the addition of six days requires accommodation by everyone from vendors and exhibitors to seasonal staff to the State Police. You can be certain that Fair administrators didn’t commit to the lengthening until they got an assurance that Wade Shows, provider of the midway rides and attractions, could service 18 days.

That’s something that wouldn’t have happened if our Fair was still hiring the James E. Strates Shows to provide thrills because for many years Strates played the Erie County Fair, near Buffalo, closing there  just a few days before the show opened in Syracuse. This year the Erie Fair runs Aug. 11 through Aug. 22, its last three days overlapping the State Fair. With Wade as midway operator, the carnival portion won’t be an issue, but that’s not the case for other vendors and exhibitors, who have in years past played out there before packing up and traveling down the thruway to set up here.

One veteran Fair food vendor told State Fair Hound that he had talked to some business people who had told him that they were feeling squeezed by the conflict and had to make some tough decisions. That source wondered why the State would decide to go for 18 without taking into account the ramifications for the many participants who work multiple fairs.

That would been a problem in any year, but 2021 isn’t just any year. We’ve also heard indirectly from a vendor who’s pulling out complaining about state regulations being a headache for owners doing business on the grounds.

Then, you have to wonder how Fair patrons will respond to the extension, coupled with the lower admission price of three bucks with seniors free every day. Will people attend on more days or spread out their attendance over 18 days, going basically as they traditionally have done in fewer days? If the new enticements don’t produce a significant boost in business, everyone affiliated with the Fair will be disappointed and there will be some serious second-guessing about whether, in the case of the New York State Fair, more is better.