The Great New York State Fair is right around the corner, with a new director at its helm.
Julie LaFave said she is looking forward to the next few weeks. Before being named the new fair director, LaFave served as the fair’s operations director and Syracuse’s Commissioner of Parks and Recreation.
"It's a new field technically for me,” said LaFave. “It's a new professional network. But parks and rec, especially in the city of Syracuse, there's giant festivals happening at Clinton Square, there's a lot of events that happen in the community centers."
This is also the first year the fair is “sensory certified,” and it will host a sensory-friendly day for people who are overwhelmed by the event’s noise and bright lights on Tuesday, August 27. There will also be a sensory room available at the Art and Home Center.
"The state of New York and our governor herself wants to make the state of New York more accessible, more friendly, serve more of an audience, so we feel that's very important," said LaFave.
She said the fair is bouncing back after the pandemic with a lot of returning and new vendors. Toss & Fire Pizza is moving into the building that used to house Dinosaur Bar-B-Que and Gianelli Sausage. And there are new foods to try.
"We have one called Chocolate Taps, and it's exactly what it sounds like. It's chocolate that comes out of a tap,” LaFave said. “As funny as it sounds, chicken wings has never really been at the fair, so we have chicken wings. Pan-African village has some food that's new to them. We have some Haitian food."
There is also a full slate of concerts planned, and the popular dinosaur exhibit will be back for families to enjoy.
The fair runs from Wed. August 21 through Labor Day.
