The Newsmaker program on Channel 9 recently focused on the cultural villages that are an essential part of the New York State Fair. It was good to hear from Van Robinson, a tireless advocate for the minority community, about the origins of the Pan African Village. He referred to “the leaders at the time” when the village was set up, back in 1996. 
It was disappointing that neither Robinson or program host Andrew Donovan acknowledged the monumental contribution of Peter Cappuccilli, Jr., who was the Fair Director at that time. But Randy Andy Cuomo, who screwed up the Fair in many ways, got a shout-out for naming the village after Robinson. Big deal.
Cappuccilli was also the director in charge when the Veterans and 9-11 Memorials were constructed, when the Iroquois longhouse was dedicated and when Fair attendance first exceeded a million visitors. Another Cappy legacy was significant infrastructure improvement including the addition of air conditioning to several buildings.
Other founders, including Ken Jackson and Bongo Hanslip share credit for starting the Pan African village. While it was great to see that State Fair jewel get recognition on television, it would have been better if credit was given where deserved.
Leave a Reply