Interesting Facts About the Great New York State Fair
Did you know the New York State Fair was once held in Utica?
The Great New York State Fair is going on right now in Syracuse. In honor to celebrate this annual event, we wanted to share some facts about the fair that you probably haven't heard before.
Let's start with one that gives us bragging rights (who doesn't love to brag). The first state fair in the country was held in New York. It was held in Syracuse back in 1841. Now, this wasn't anything close to the state fair that New York has now with all the food vendors, shows, and the midway, but it was still a fair. There were animal exhibits, speakers, and even a plowing contest.
Another interesting fact about the Great New York State Fair - It didn't always happen in Syracuse. The first one did, but the next year it was held in Albany. For more than 40 years, the fair traveled to different cities throughout New York including Rochester, Buffalo, New York City, and even a stop in Utica.
Other facts about the NY State Fair (from Wikipedia):
- It is the oldest and one of the biggest state fairs in the country
- Nearly one million people visit the fair every year
- Syracuse became the permanent city of the fair in 1890
- From 1942 to 1947 no fair was held
- In 1967 the "New York State Exposition" (formerly the "New York State Agricultural and Industrial Exposition" ) changed its name to the New York State Fair
- The fairgrounds cover 375-acres - That's over 16 million square feet!
With all these interesting facts about the New York State Fair, we're sure you're getting pretty excited to go check it out (if you haven't gone already this year). Well, we want to make sure you get all the info you need before your visit. You can see a list of events (including the free concerts at the Chevy Court) by checking out the NYS Fair's website here.
[Information collected from: The Great New York State Fair
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