Alongside the Labor Day parade and rally on the last day of the New York State Fair, director Sean Hennessey reflected on this year’s run.
"The one thing I cherish most about the state fair is the kids, going around seeing them having that special moment, really means so much to me,” said Hennessey.
One kid enjoying the last day with John Trombley from Syracuse. He was visiting the Midway after checking out the new Dinosaur Expedition at the Expo Center.
"I liked how realistic the dinosaurs were," he said.
His mom, Erin, said the entertainment keeps them coming back year after year.
"It's a lot of fun,” she said. “It's kind of like going to an adventure park or something, but it's really close."
This is Hennessey’s first official year serving as state fair director, after serving as interim director in 2022. He said he’s focused on making the fair a family-friendly and inclusive event.
"There's a number of free things to do at the fair, whether it's the sea lion show, or the circus, or the dinosaurs,” Hennessey said. “They're all free, and we do that on purpose, so that even families that may be struggling a bit with their finances can come here and experience this on a very, very economical basis."
State officials are also focused on making the fair more culturally inclusive, welcoming a new Asian Village this year, to join the Indian, Pan-African, and Latino villages.
"The sights and smells and vision of Asia was here, the great Asian community, and I will tell you, that is a blessing that's hopefully going to be here for many, many, many generations to come,” said Hennessey.
While daily attendance numbersare still lagging behind pre-pandemic levels, there were some record-breaking events. Lainey Wilson’s opening day concert brought in more than 53,000 people. And Hennessey said the number of vendors is up this year from the last two years.
James Coles brought his business Goodway Bakery from Troy to sell his Caribbean rum cakes. He said the attendance numbers didn’t seem to affect how busy he was, and he’ll be back next year.
"(Business was) astronomical, we didn't expect the flood or the, should I say, engagement of the crowd, as much as we had."
Hennessey said in the weeks ahead, fair staffers will look at what they’d like to change or improve next year, but for now, he said he feels like this year was a “home run.”
