Taking place each year in Syracuse, the New York State Fair is New York's largest annual event. Nearly one million people visit the fair each year to sample food, watch shows and entertainment and view exhibitions. The fair attracts big-name performers including, in 2010, Aerosmith, Rush and Justin Bieber. The history of the fair dates back well over 150 years.
The New York State Fair dates back to the founding of the New York State Agricultural Society in 1832. The first members of the society were farmers and legislators keen to promote improved agriculture in the state, and in 1841 they held a state fair in Albany--the first state fair ever held in the United States. Between 10,000 and 15,000 people visited the fair to view agricultural events such as plowing contests and exhibits of animals and farm equipment. In following years, the society made the fair more attractive to the public by adding horse-racing and entertainment events.
Between 1841 and 1889, the fair used a variety of locations, moving between 11 different towns and cities. Albany, Buffalo, New York City, Rochester, Poughkeepsie, Elmira, Auburn, Syracuse, Utica, Watertown and Saratoga Springs all hosted the fair in these years. In 1889, the Syracuse Land Company donated a 100-acre site to the New York Agricultural Society, which became the fair's permanent home. The new site in Geddes had excellent railway connections which facilitated the transport of exhibits to the fair.
The cost of erecting permanent buildings on the new site during the 1890s left the New York Agricultural Society in a precarious financial position, and the society was forced to ask the state for help. In 1899, New York State purchased the site from the society and took over management of the fair. The state allocated $2 million to the project and introduced a series of new events to increase revenues. These included stunt flying and motor racing, but although the events proved popular with visitors they were also the cause of a number of serious accidents.
The Depression era of the 1930s caused problems with both revenue and attendance, and the fair, now organized by the New York State's Department of Agriculture and Markets, adapted by running over eight days rather than six and organizing events on Sundays. In 1934, the fair added a new Industrial Exhibit Authority, subsidizing the construction of new buildings with fees paid by participating manufacturers. Between 1942 and 1946, the fair's site became a military base, but annual fairs resumed again in 1948. During the 1950s, the fair moved further away from its agricultural roots by including exhibitions on a variety of non-agricultural subjects and hosting performances by nationally famous entertainers.
The 1970s brought substantial change to the fair as organizers tried to adapt to falling attendances, state budget problems and the rising cost of booking entertainment acts. Since 1976, a separate fee has been charged for big-name acts, while since 1977 the fair sold name franchises to outside corporations and rented some of the buildings out during the rest of the year. In 1990, the state stopped subsidizing the operating costs of the fair. Organizers also responded to criticisms from minorities by including a more culturally diverse range of exhibits, making the site accessible to those with disabilities and employing sign language interpreters.
