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Syracuse,
NY – June 2019 / Newsmaker Alert / If you love your country
and love to perform, the Great New York
State Fair is looking for you. The annual
Star Spangled Challenge is underway through July 4. To compete, people
upload a short video of themselves singing or playing “The Star Spangled
Banner” to the Fair’s contest site on its Facebook page, here. Thirteen
winners will be chosen to sing the National Anthem live on the Chevy
Court stage each day during the Fair at approximately 9:55 a.m. to
open the day’s activities.
“This unique competition
starts our day in the best way possible,” said Troy Waffner, Fair Director.
“It’s always special to hear a New Yorker sing or play our great anthem
and it reminds us of what is great about our country.”
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Approximately 400 people
and groups of all ages and from all corners of the state have entered the
competition since it began in 2015. Winners have included many solo singers,
but also duos, groups and entire choruses have performed. Some winners
have performed the anthem as an instrumental on a keyboard or guitar.
To enter, contestants create
a video of themselves singing or playing the entire first verse of “The
Star Spangled Banner.” Performances can be solo or as part of a group and
can be vocal or instrumental. They then upload the video to the contest
entry form on the Fair’s Facebook page. People without the ability
to upload to Facebook may send videos to statefairideas@agriculture.ny.gov
along with their full name, address and daytime phone number. Winners and
finalists from prior years may not enter again.
Contest entries close
at 11:59 p.m. July 4. A panel of judges will then choose finalists.
Beginning July 11, the Fair’s Facebook fans will vote for their favorites
from among the finalists. Voting ends August 1. The 13 entrants with the
most votes will be the winners. They receive free admission and parking
passes and will be contacted by the Fair to set their performance date.
Winners performing August 22 – 25 will also be asked to sing the Canadian
national anthem for the Fair’s Canadian Friendship Days. Performers may
also be asked to sing at certain special events.
About New York State Fair
Founded in 1841, the Great
New York State Fair is America’s third largest state fair. The Fair showcases
the best of New York agriculture, provides top-quality entertainment and
is a key piece of Governor Cuomo’s CNY
Rising strategy of growing the Central New York economy through tourism.
Fair attendance is up more than 40% since the beginning of more than $120
million in investments, with 1.27 million people attending the Fair in
2018. The 2019 Fair runs from August 21 to September 2. Information about
the Fair can be found here.
The New York State Fairgrounds
is a 375-acre exhibit and entertainment complex that operates all year.
A year-round schedule of events is available
here. Find the Great New York State Fair on Facebook,
follow @NYSFair on Twitter, and
enjoy photos from the Fair on Flickr.
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 |
