Carnival companies and fair vendors have been negatively impacted by the pandemic and shutdown, just as thousands of businesses have. But they haven’t all completely closed up shop. The website of the Wade Shows, provider of the midway rides and games for the New York State Fair, lists a reduced, but existing number of fairs still scheduled.

In fact, the Delaware State Fair opened its 10-day run on July 23 with Wade providing the midway. According to the Delaware State Fair’s website, they’ve made significant changes to procedures. Their entire concert schedule was canceled and safety protocols are in force.

Meanwhile the Tennessee and North Carolina State Fairs were late scratches, while Wade is still booked for the Nebraska State Fair from Aug. 28 to Sep. 7 as well as several other major festivals in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee. They’re going forward while maximizing caution, hoping no doubt, that it won’t lead to a spike in covid-19 cases.

Ultimately, those fairs may or may not go on. New York seems at this point to have a better grip on the outbreak than most other states. So if at least some states are successful in holding their event without major consequence, it will validate second guessing of Gov. Cuomo’s decision to cancel rather than   instituting precautions and forging ahead.

Given its timing and proximity to New York, a review of the Delaware Fair will be most instructive in analyzing whether the closing of the New York State Fair was justified. We’ll take a look at a later date.

Shopping malls open Friday with the approval of the State.

The Hound is wondering how shopping with throngs of people indoors meets safety standards, but food-stand dining, browsing the Iroquois Village, twirling on thrill rides and strolling around in the open air at the New York State Fair doesn’t.

Fair Director Troy Waffner told local media outlets that his staff is planning for some events to give devastated Fair fans a taste of the fun they’re missing with the Fair canceled this year.

While many deride the decision to close–rightly so–let’s hope there is some redemption in those promised activities.

New York’s dictatorial governor announced on Monday that he is killing the 2020 New York State Fair.

New Yorkers who have sacrificed tremendously and lost much to the current health crisis are devastated by the unwarranted surrender of our greatest event.

The facts support the substantial progress New York has made, especially upstate where the Fair is staged annually. The opportunity to hold the festival mostly outdoors made it possible to minimize the risk to patrons and workers (See Out of the Box, June 27). But Cuomo lacks the vision and will to fashion the modified-but-fun event so badly needed by deprived and depressed citizens.

Politically, Cuomo values his image as our savior, drawing a stark contrast to the psychopath in the White House when it comes to pandemic response. But we’ll all pay the price emotionally and economically for a canceled Fair.

We can just sit around the house wearing masks forever, but that’s no way to live. While there’s no justifying reckless disregard for the undeniable risks, careful planning can make the Fair relatively safe, just as it has allowed movement toward normal life in so many areas without significant negative affect.

Labor Day will arrive on time and it will be tough to face without having had the State Fair to soften the blow of summer ending. Maybe Chevy Court concerts and elbow-to-elbow crowded buildings were too risky, but a modified Fair was possible, if only the Gov had made the effort.

Devotees of the New York State Fair were troubled this week to hear our illustrious governor express doubt that the Fair can open this year because of the pandemic. Come on Andy, the classic, traditional State Fair may be a long shot, but there are provisions that could be made to allow some form of the Fair to open and we deserve your best effort to make sure it does. In terms of ideas, the Hound, as always, has some.

First, a limit on attendance could be set by selling tickets that are date-specific, capping the number sold for any given day. That way, you would never have 100,000 people attending on one day. The maximum attendance number would be regulated by the number of tickets sold or distributed for each day of the Fair, thus reducing person-to-person contact to lessen possible virus spread.

Next, take advantage of the outdoor space on the grounds. There is data that shows that outdoor transmission of the virus is much less common than indoor. Thus, limiting or even eliminating much of the indoor activity significantly reduces risk. Some of the indoor exhibits and attractions could be moved outdoors, perhaps under tents. That could include Center of Progress vendors, Horticulture Building displays, Science and Industry Building health agencies, Youth Building exhibitors and others.

What about the enormously popular sand sculpture and butter sculpture? You couldn’t do those outdoors, but how about the wide-open spaces of the Expo Center? Construct the statues in the middle of the building and route one-way traffic lines around them.

Speaking of lines, there could be traffic control set up throughout the grounds to reduces face-to-face contact. That includes outdoor food vendors. Dining alfresco is allowed in restaurants, so why not the Fair?

Livestock barns would need to be spaced out, with walkers limited to one-way lines around the stalls or cages.

Wades Shows would have a big job to keep rides sanitized, but you have to believe they could do it in order to keep their operation going and make a few bucks.

If absolutely necessary, the Fair could be delayed and held later, say September. But that’s about it, cold weather will be arriving, regardless of everything else changing.

No doubt, we would miss some of our favorite Fair features, but with planning, and modifications the Fair can be held. It’s worth the effort and sacrifices to make it happen. So save the depressing television interviews and get to work, Gov. There’s a State Fair to run.

The days are counting down to opening day–58 days away–and the ticking is growing louder. Still no word has come as to the fate of the 2020 New York State Fair. Does that mean there’s actually been no final decision on what will happen when Aug. 21 arrives? 

It certainly seems that if the Governor were planning to pull the plug–a major mistake, but possible–the time has come to say so. But the fact that he hasn’t cancelled would lead one to believe that he won’t. He can’t say that the situation is getting worse. To the credit of the hardworking public officials at various levels, medical pros and the cooperation of our citizens, Central New York has shown impressive progress in holding off the pandemic that many states see worsening.

If we saw more illnesses and more danger, there may be reason to take a drastic step. But if there hasn’t yet been reason to kill the dream, it doesn’t seem to be heading our way.

The Onondaga County Executive is even expressing optimism that the reopening will soon be expanded in our region.

Let’s stop avoiding the question and confirm that it’s time to get ready for another great Fair.