Syracuse, NY - Thanks to favorable weather and a bad economy, the New York State Fair has a chance to break its attendance record. As of 11 a.m. today, 839,933 people have attended the fair since it opened Aug. 26, said state fair spokesman Frederic Pierce. With a good turnout on the final day Monday, the fair could break the...
Syracuse, NY - Thanks to favorable weather and a bad economy, the New York State Fair has a chance to break its attendance record.
As of 11 a.m. today, 839,933 people have attended the fair since it opened Aug. 26, said state fair spokesman Frederic Pierce. With a good turnout on the final day Monday, the fair could break the attendance record of 1,011,248 set in 2001, Pierce said.
“We’re definitely within striking range,” Pierce said. “We’re running about 20,000 ahead than this time last year.”
During the first 11 days of the fair, less than an inch of rain fell on the fairgrounds, according to Accuweather, the private weather forecasting service that supplies information to The Post-Standard. The fair’s hottest day was Thursday when temperatures reached 92 degrees.
Aside from the economy and the good weather, Pierce believes that the free concert lineup at Chevrolet Court was also a significant draw.
“Styx, for example, was on the grandstand two years ago. Lady Antebellum could have been on the grandstand this year,” Pierce said. “We know the economy in upstate New York and some families are struggling. This gives them an opportunity to see world-class entertainment acts at a price they can afford.”
Some of the other free concerts this year included 30 Seconds to Mars, Blues Traveler, Kansas and, on Sunday, Katharine McPhee, the 2006 American Idol runner-up.
At the grandstand, more than 74,000 tickets were sold for seven shows. Justin Bieber’s concert was the only one to sell out, Pierce said.
The fair’s spokesman said he did not think the state inspector general’s recent report — which accused former fair director Peter Cappuccilli of wrongdoing and criticized the current fair administration’s handling of two no-bid contracts — had any impact on attendance.
Goats and rides
Today, some fairgoers took the opportunity to milk a goat for 50 cents.
At the goat, llama and swine barn, Ben Carrick, 5, wore his multi-colored ribbon proudly. It read, “I milked a goat at the New York State Fair.” This was the second time Ben had milked a goat and his second time at the fair this year, said his mother, Tracy Carrick, of Syracuse.
“This year, they’ve done a really good job. Even with all the crowds,” Carrick said. “There’s always little nooks and crannies to explore at the fair.”
On the midway, hundreds of fairgoers rode the Ferris wheel and roller coaster. These classic rides are always a state fair favorite, said James Strates, one of the owners of the James E. Strates Shows. If the weather continues to be good, the midway could beat its ticket sales record of $1,973,000 set last year, Strates said.
Contact Fernando Alfonso at falfonso@syracuse.com
Fair concerts
Number of tickets sold for each state fair grandstand concert this year:
Aerosmith 8,888
Jeff Dunham 7,412
Rihanna 9,165
Justin Bieber 16,471
Rush 12,364
Tim McGraw 8,583
Rascal Flatts 11,554
Total sold 74,437