State Fair Hound knows that Fair executives and staffers are already thinking about the 2015 version. They have a little extra planning time this off season as the 169th New York State Fair opens on Aug. 27, the latest date the Fair can open under its current configuration.
Acting Director Troy Waffner has assured us that suggestions from the public are taken seriously and we saw evidence this year with more places to sit and eat, midway improvements and the wine court’s return to the colonnade as the Taste NY Wine, Beer and Spirits Village. So, keep ‘em coming by logging onto nysfair.org to submit your ideas. Meanwhile, we’ll propose a few of our own.
For starters, we’re going to go out on a limb here and propose a change for next year some Fair fans will think is crazy. We think that ticket prices, both full price and reduced advance-sale admission prices should be raised. Here’s why.
The Hound has never been a fan of attractions that require a separate admission after patrons have pushed through the turnstiles. This year Discover the Dinosaurs charged $5, even for kids. The Ice Museum grabbed people for $8 opening day and, interestingly, it was quickly reduced to $6. There was also a charge for the Monarch Butterfly Garden, though only a buck.
It seems to us that a convincing claim to fame for the Fair has always been that you pay for admission, but virtually all of the inside attractions are free. This year the Wolves of the World, the Hawk Creek birds of prey, Swifty Swine Racing Pigs, the Harlem Wizards, Shipwrecks of the “Great” Great Lakes and Tractor Town were among the great free features. Then, of course, there’s the Chevrolet Court shows, the History of the
Fair exhibit and grounds performers like Bandolini, the Living Statues and, one of the best free acts the Fair has, Hilby.
We’re sure you can name a few more shows and exhibits that are free, but you get the idea. We don’t know the details that go into the inclusion of the paid-admission attractions, but we wonder if the Fair could make those free if gate admission was a bit higher.
Here’s our reasoning—A family could really run up its cost by paying charges beyond admission. A couple with two youngsters, for instance would have increased their one-day cost by $40 if they went to both the Dinosaurs and the Ice Museum (the ice sculptors had a family-of-four charge of $20). Some parents would find it aggravating having to take out the wallet repeatedly after having purchased admission and midway wristbands.
But if the Fair charged everyone a little more for admission by increasing ticket charges from $10, $6 advance sale to, say $12, $8 advance, maybe they could eliminate extra admission charges. Then they could renew the very popular concept of paying essentially one charge and getting all of these acts free.
Is this a good idea? Your opinion is as good as ours. We recognize that some people would howl, but day-of-Fair admission prices haven’t gone up since 2003. Advance prices have gone up $1 since then, we’re not sure what year.
Maybe it’s a lousy idea. Maybe a $2 increase wouldn’t be enough to cover costs. Or maybe, for other reasons, it doesn’t add up logistically for the Fair. But come on, compare it to a movie or sports event, then consider all you would be getting for free. Then you may agree this is worth considering.
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