| Syracuse,
NY – April 2017 / Newsmaker Alert / The Great
New York State Fair will provide some of the biggest and most entertaining
shows in its history for the 2017 Fair, with dazzling performances around
every corner of the expanded Fairgrounds. The significant increase in daily
entertainment acts is a direct result of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s $50 million
investment to revitalize the 126-year old grounds, which provided many
more acres of open space, as well as the record-setting crowds that flocked
to the Fair in 2016.
“Fairgoers this year can
expect a record number of performers and entertainers. Throughout the grounds
and over the course of the Fair’s 13 days, fairgoers will see new acts,
some of them featuring very large and dramatic sets, as well as some popular
familiar shows that keep them coming back year after year. We’ve worked
hard to find new and exciting shows that offer something fun for everyone,”
said Acting Fair Director Troy Waffner.
New to the Fair this year:
-
Pirates
of the Colombian Caribbean Aerial High Wire Thrill Show, which features
the age-old battle of good versus evil on a huge pirate ship set. Swordfights
and other battles take place on a high wire strung between the ship’s masts.
Shows culminate in a final battle on a giant spinning wheel.
-
The Top
Cop Police Academy high dive show, featuring five skilled divers and
seven people recruited from the audience who take part in some preliminary
exercises before the divers take over. The finale involves a dive of more
than 25 yards into a pool approximately three yards deep.
-
The iFlip
aerial show, featuring performers on bungee cords and bouncing high on
trampolines. The performance concludes with a dangerous 60 foot fall into
a stuntman airbag.
Each of these shows will occupy
large areas of the grounds, as the Fair will be taking full advantage of
the acres of new space provided by the revitalization of the grounds that
began in 2015.
These acts and others yet
to be announced comprise what the Fair calls its grounds entertainment
lineup. Grounds entertainers are individuals or groups who perform in a
wide variety of genres, including juggling, acrobatics, arts and comedy.
They are placed throughout the 375-acre Fairgrounds in order to provide
entertainment wherever one goes on the grounds and perform several shows
per day each. Grounds entertainers stand in contrast to the Fair’s other
main type of entertainment – free concerts on its music stages, including
Chevy Court.
Fairgoer favorites Hilby
the Skinny German Juggling Boy, Bandaloni
the One Man Band, and Team
Sandtastic, creators of the annual sand sculpture in the Center of
Progress building, will all return in 2017. Hilby and Bandaloni are skilled
comic entertainers who draw the largest crowds for their street side shows.
Fairgoers enjoy watching Team Sandtastic create a one-of-a-kind sculpture
from tons of sand over the first few days of the Fair and then using the
finished sculpture as a popular backdrop for family photos throughout the
Fair. Hilby will move to a new home this year – outside the Toyota Coliseum,
in an area with bleachers to make it easier for large crowds to enjoy his
show.
Also returning for 2017 is
the annual fireworks spectacular that brings the Fair to a close on Labor
Day. Majestic
Fireworks of Clinton, NY will be back to fill the night sky with color
and sound.
Most acts will perform three
times per day. Performance schedules will be posted on the Fair’s website
in the coming weeks. All grounds entertainment performances are free with
Fair admission.
About the Great New York
State Fair
The New
York State Fair, operated by the New
York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, runs from August
23 to September 4, 2017. The Fair’s mission, reflected in its theme, “Find
Your Great...,” is to showcase the best of New York agriculture while providing
top-quality entertainment.
The 375-acre New York State
Fairgrounds is undergoing the most significant transformation since it
first opened its gates in 1890. The $50 million plan, announced by Governor
Andrew M. Cuomo, revitalizes the grounds in many ways, improving the quality
of the fairgoer’s experience and providing greater economic benefits for
the region. Improvements include the dramatic new Main Gate— the arches
of which recall the carriage gate that greeted fairgoers in 1900, a larger,
15-acre Wade Shows Midway that will hold more rides than ever, and the
brand new 315-site Empire RV Park with underground water, sewer and electrical
service. The plan will better position the New York State Fairgrounds as
a premier year-round, multi-use facility that can attract more events and
visitors from across the nation. Renderings can be viewed
here.
A year-round schedule
of events is available on the Fair’s
website. Find The Great New York State Fair on Facebook,
follow @NYSFair on Twitter, and
enjoy photos from the Fair at Flickr.com/photos/nysfair.
Also, New Yorkers are invited to send their ideas for the Great New York
State Fair at statefairideas@agriculture.ny.gov.
Media Contacts:
Jola
Szubielski
Public Information Officer
NYS Department of Agriculture
& Markets
518-457-0752
Dave
Bullard
Public Relations
New York State Fair
315-487-7711 x 1377 |
