243. Extreme Canines

How many of you have spent hours upon hours lost on Animal Planet watching those shows about dogs that do outrageous tricks?

New this year at the fair are extreme canines! I know that sounds a little threatening but it’s not…trust me.

These dogs are professionals!

They perform crazy frisbee-catching jumps, do a lot of neat air tricks and acrobatics and more!

Tip: Shows daily at 11:00am, 3:15 and 5:00pm plus an additional show at 1:00pm on Saturdays at the Sports Activity Center in front of the Toyota Coliseum. 

State Fair Series
Chevy Court
ReMAX Balloon Rides
Unlimited Ride Days
Wine & Cheese Tastings
Midway Music
Lotto Pavilion
Butterfly Pavilion
Wine Tent
Dairy Cows

242. Dairy Cows

I’ve had time to go to the fair once this year, and there were 2 things I checked out.

1) Grace Potter

2) The Dairy Cows.

They’re so cool! And they’re a pretty popular attraction.

This year they’ve introduced something fascinating into the dairy-cow-mix. With the intention of teaching the public about veterinary science and the birthing process, you can actually watch live as a cow gives birth!

There’s also a milking parlor where you can watch the process of milking a cow…always pretty fascinating!

Tip: The exhibit is located next to the FFA Building near tram stop #8 and is open from 10:00am-10:00pm.

State Fair Series
Chevy Court
ReMAX Balloon Rides
Unlimited Ride Days
Wine and Cheese Competition
Midway Music
Lotto Pavilion
Butterfly Pavilion
Wine Tent

241. Wine Tent

Every 21 and over’s favorite part of the State Fair is the wine tent.

It’s always crowded, it’s always boisterous, it’s always exciting & fun and I love it so much!

At the wine tent you can taste some Wine Slushies. You could essentially spend all day in that corner of the Fair because there’s tons of great food stops, and even a Stage for live entertainment! However, that’s not recommended because there’s still tons of fun things to do all over the fair!
Tip: Try the wine slushies!

State Fair Series
Chevy Court
REMAX Balloon Rides
Unlimited Ride Days
Wine and Cheese Tastings
Midway Music Series
Lotto Pavilion
Butterfly Pavilion

240. Butterfly Pavilion

Has anyone gone to the Butterfly Pavilion before?

Hundreds of Monarch Butterflies are fluttering around and you get to walk right through them! It’s really quite amazing.

This is something for everyone, it’s really quick too! You can even buy butterflies or larvae while you’re there.

Tip: You can buy nectar for a chance to have a butterfly land on you!

State Fair Series
Chevy Court
REMAX Balloon Rides
Unlimited Ride Days
Wine & Cheese Tastings
Midway Music Series
Lotto Pavilion
Butterfly Pavilion

239. Lotto Pavilion

This is my favorite part of the fair.

The Lotto Pavilion!

It’s located in the middle of the fairgrounds, it’s this huge lottery looking building…and they sell every single type of scratch off lotto ticket you could possibly think of! It’s so fun to grab a whole bunch & see if you’re a lucky winner!

Lots of people get really into this!

Tip: You can redeem your winnings at the pavilion!

State Fair Series
Chevy Court
REMAX Balloon Rides
Unlimited Ride Days
Wine and Cheese Tasting
Midway Music Series

238. Midway Music

Looking for some more live music at the State Fair?  I’m still so pumped about the Chevy Court Line Up!

Chevy Court & The Grandstand are not the only places at the fair to watch a show though. Obviously the Grandstand brings in some pretty big acts, like Toby Keith and Luke Bryan; and Chevy Court has a pretty spectacular line-up as well…but sometimes we forget about another spot at the fair that offers free shows!

The Midway Music Series also has some pretty cool performances. They’re completely diverse too, which is great!

The lineup is as follows:
Aug 22: New Day
Aug 23: Real Housewives
Aug 26: 8pm- Movie Night – Showing Sci-Fy feature “Spiders”
Aug 27: 7:30pm – American Idol Finalists
Aug 28: 7:30pm – Dark Hollow
Aug 29: 7:30pm – Living on a Bad Name
Aug 30: 7:30pm- History Channels “American Pickers”
Aug 31: 8pm – Jake Miller
Sept 1: 7:30pm – Bobby Keys Band

Tip: All the shows are free with fair admission!

State Fair Series
Chevy Court
REMAX Balloon Rides
Unlimited Ride Days
Wine and Cheese Competition

237. Wine & Cheese Tastings

This isn’t the only time we’ll see wine at the State Fair!

Back in the Horticulture building, there’s the Pride of NY room where lots of really awesome things take place…including…Wine & Cheese tastings!

This is new to the fair this year! Which is awesome!

Every day at 2:30 & 5:30 a different NY winery will be hosting a wine & cheese tasting! On Labor Day, they’re switching it to beer.

You must be 21+ to participate in this event.

Wineries that are participating:
Aug 22: Glenora Wine Cellars & Knapp Vineyards
Aug 23: Hunt Country Vineyards
Aug 25: Owera Vineyards
Aug 26: Ashley Lynn Vineyards
Aug 27: Merritt Estate Winery
Aug 28: Three Brothers Wineries (2:30) & Keuka Springs Vineyard (5:30)
Aug 29: Fox Run Vineyards
Aug 30: King Ferry Winery
Aug 31: Beek & Skiff
Sept 1: Coyote Moon Vineyards

Tip: Spots aren’t guaranteed for this, pre-register by calling 315-487-7711 ext. 1335.

State Fair Series
Chevy Court
REMAX Balloon Rides
Unlimited Ride Days

236. Unlimited Ride Days

Day 3 of the Fair and it’s going better than ever, right?!

Today is something really important to know…
You know how you can sometimes end up spending close to $100 on rides at the fair…especially if you’ve got young kids who have to basically try everything!?

There are a few days throughout the fair that are “unlimited ride days.” These days, Monday-Thursday Aug 26-29, you can buy a $25 unlimited ride wrist band and ride all the rides you want!

Sounds pretty smart to me!

Tip: It’s only valid for one day, not multiple days.

State Fair Series
Chevy Court
REMAX Balloon Rides

235. REMAX balloon rides

Did anyone check out Grace Potter at Chevy Court yesterday? Wasn’t it awesome!! What a great way to start the fair.

We’re always used to seeing that giant ReMAX balloon at the fair, but It’s always been for show…well…not anymore!

For $15 per person, August 23-27 from 6-8pm (weather permitting) they’ll be offering balloon rides right in the infield! You’ll get a birds eye view of all the goings on at the fair…and you could probably get a good view of Syracuse too!

Kinda neat considering how popular Hot Air Balloons are in this area!

Tip: Continue to check back daily for 1 fun thing to do at the fair each day!

State Fair Series
Chevy Court

234. Chevy Court

Welcome to the New York State Fair, y’all!

I couldn’t be more excited to start this series

Each day for the next 12 days there will be 1 thing to do at the fair each day, and there will be a link back to the previous days so you won’t miss a thing!

Today something really awesome and amazing is happening at the State Fair… Chevy Court, as you may all know is the #1 spot to see a free concert at the Fair. They’ve got tons of AMAZING acts that come through…Styx, Florida George Line, OAR, etc…

But today…they’ve got Grace Potter & The Nocturnals. I am a HUGE fan of Grace Potter…like..huge…like I saw Grace Potter and the Nocturnals perform in a small venue in Fort Collins, CO back in 2009 and since then I’ve been hooked. Every time you go to one of their concerts it’s better than the last…it’s seriously awesome! Tonight, they’re playing a free concert at Chevy Court and you can 100% guarantee I will be there singing along to all the songs!

I could not be more pumped for this!

The rest of the lineup for Chevy Court follows:

Aug 22: 2pm – Salt N Peppa
Aug 22: 8pm – Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
Aug 23: 2pm – Jana Kramer
Aug 23: 8pm: George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic
Aug 24: 2pm – Zendaya
Aug 24: 8pm – Phil Vassar
Aug 25: 2pm – Babyface
Aug 25: 8pm – Styx
Aug 26: 2pm – The Cab Calloway Orchestra
Aug 26: 8pm – Florida Georgia Line
Aug 27: 2pm – Chubby Checker
Aug 27: 8pm – Austin Mahone
Aug 28: 2pm – The 5th Dimension
Aug 28: 8pm – Vince Gill
Aug 29: 2pm – Lee Greenwood
Aug 29: 8pm – Plain White T’s
Aug 30: 2pm – Owl City
Aug 30: 8pm – Los Lonely Boys
Aug 31: 2pm – The Willis Clan
Aug 31: 8pm – OAR
Sept 1: 2pm – Dickey Betts
Sept 1: 8pm – The Happy Together Tour
Sept 2: 2pm – Parmalee
Sept 2: 8pm – Kix Brooks

Tip: The concerts are free with admission to the fair. Enter through the main gate to access Chevy Court the fastest & most convenient way.

location: NYS Fairgrounds, Chevy Court