No See Ums

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.