Erie County Fair Blog

The Erie County Fair 5K returns on Saturday August 10, 2013 at 9am at the Fairgrounds in Hamburg, NY. This newly certified 3.1 mile course is one of the flattest in WNY. The starting and finish line are at the entrance of the Grandstand and the race route takes participants through the Town and Village of Hamburg.

Pre-registration cost is $20 and participants may register online at ecfair.org under the contests tab. Pre-registration is encouraged, however, racers may sign up beginning at 7:30am on the day of the race for a $25 entry fee.

All ages are welcome to participate in the 5K, however, no pets, skateboards, rollerblades or bicycles are allowed on the course. Water stations will be provided.

A portion of the proceeds from the event will benefit Special Olympics of New York, an organization that is dedicated to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-style sports for all children and adults with intellectual disabilities giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of skills and friendship with their families, Special Olympics athletes and the community. Through their participation in Special Olympics New York athletes gain confidence and build a positive self-image, which carries into the classroom,, the home, the workplace and the community. (From Special Olympics of New York website, nyso.org)

Download an application or register online at http://www.ecfair.org/index.php?cID=218.  For more information on the Erie County Fair 5K, please call (716) 649-3900 or email hollys@ecfair.org 

Erie County Fair tickets for three concerts will go on sale Saturday, May 4th beginning at 10am.

Visit www.ecfair.org for a complete listing of concerts and ticketing links for the 2013 Erie County Fair.

Buy your concert tickets in advance and receive free admission to the Fair on the day of the show.

Motorevent tickets and admission tickets will go on sale June 1st.

Do you know of a talented individual that would be interested in being a part of the Pepsi Cola Marching Band at the Erie County Fair?  The search is on for musicians and color guard members currently in grades nine through twelve that are interested in continuing their musical and color guard development throughout the summer.

The program consists of a rehearsal schedule on Monday and Wednesday evenings (tentatively) from 6:00pm to 8:00pm beginning June 3rd.  All rehearsals will be held at The Fairgrounds in the 4-H Youth and Development Building.  Performances for the band will begin in July and continue through August, leading up to daily performances at the Erie County Fair, August 7-18.  Band members must participate in all performances.

Applications are due May 1^st.  Students interested in joining the group must fill out the application available at www.ecfair.org that now includes a band director recommendation.  Students selected for the ensemble will be notified via letter.  Previous involvement with the group in no way guarantees a spot this year.

Return completed applications to Erie County Fair, Pepsi-Cola Marching Band, 5600 McKinley Parkway, Hamburg, NY 14075 by May 1, 2013.

Have you ever wondered what it is like to sleep in the barns at the Erie County Fair, or to take care of those precious animals that stay right there too?  What about riding in the parade or seeing just how cotton candy and taffy is made?  Well, now here’s your chance!

The Erie County Fair is inviting all 8, 9, and 10 year olds to fill out an application for the chance to be one of the “campers” chosen in the fifth (5) year of Fair Camp.  Campers (& their same sex parent or guardian) will sleep in the barns, help take care of the Ag-Sperience animals, have the opportunity to show an animal, learn more about that yummy fair food, and even ride in the parade.  Campers & their guardians will come away from the ultimate Fair Camp experience with a greater knowledge of agriculture and livestock, not to mention and inside view of the great Erie County Fair, through hands-on activities under the supervision of qualified staff (camp counselors).

The Erie County Fair will choose lucky participants to camp on the Fairgrounds for 2 nights and participate in actual farm “chores” of all types, for FREE!! For 2013, campers can choose between August 9, 10, 11 or August 16, 17, 18.

Hurry to get your application in, it’s easy (1) click on Fair Camp on  www.ecfair.org; (2) email lwoloszyn@ecfair.org;(3) or calling 649-3900 ext. 6407 to have one mailed to you.  Applications are due by May 1^st . 

Previous campers thoughts on the program include..
“Fair Camp was without a doubt one of the best experiences me and my daughter have shared” Mom from B-lo

“Thanks to Fair Camp my daughter will be  working this winter with the 4H, and will be showing at next year’s fair as an exhibitor”

For more information call the Competitive Exhibits Office 716-649-3900 ext. 6407

High school seniors and/or college students can be awarded up to $20,000 total in scholarship money by the Erie County Agricultural Society (ECAS) and Hamburg Casino.

 Applications are being accepted now through April 12, 2013. To qualify for an ECAS scholarship, students must be enrolling or already enrolled in an accredited college or university pursuing studies in any, but not limited to the following fields: Agriculture, Agri-Business, Business/Liberal Arts, Ecology and Environmental Technology, Family & Consumer Sciences, Flora-culture, Home Economics/ Industrial Arts, Horticulture, Forestry & Natural Resources, or Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Technology.

Hamburg Casino is offering scholarships to students who are pursuing other fields of education and that have shown participation during the Erie County Fair. Fair participation can be obtained by entering in one of the many competitive exhibits and by participating in the Erie County Fair Marching Band as well as through various types of employment or activities.

Click here to download an application, or they are available in the Guidance Office of all area high schools, at various college Financial Aid Offices, as well as at the Cornell University Cooperative Extension 4-H Office located at 21 South Grove Street in East Aurora. If you have any questions regarding the scholarship program, contact Russell L. Marquart, CFE at the Fair Office at 716-649-3900 ext. 6403.

Step away from packing up your Christmas decorations, shoveling snow and warming up during this cold Buffalo winter for a minute and pretend it is August in Erie County, and you are walking though the Erie County Fair…

See the photography hung in groups at the Creative Arts Exhibit, the hot metal rod of a horsehoe in the making, the colorful balloon creations of the Bizzare Balloonologist and the rows and rows of vendors set up in the Event Center ready to make a sale.

Smell the fried dough, the chicken cooking, the popcorn, and all the other delicious food the Fair has to offer as you pass through the food court finding what you are going to try out this year.

Hear the roar of applause as a Grandstand artst takes the stage, the horses clop along the parade route, the crashing of cars in the demoliton derby and the animals as they call out to one another in the barns.

Taste the burgers, fred dough, cotton candy, french fries, gyros, candy apples, taffy and all the other  delicious foods that fill your belly and make a trip to the Fair complete.

Feel the wind whipping through your hair on a midway ride, the feeling of sunshine on your face as you grab a seat a Slade Park concert, the bristly fur on a newborn piglet, or a the soft plush of a toy won at I-Got-It.

Experience all the shows, music, laughs and memories that go along with a day spent with family and friends at the Erie County Fair.

For now you are back in chilly January in Erie County but the Fair will be here before you know it.

We’re celebrating the 174th edition of the Erie County Fair and this year we want to reflect everything that makes a day at the Fair complete with the 2013 theme of The Erie County Fair- Experience It!

Join us August 7-18, 2013 to See It! Smell It! Hear It! Taste It! Feel It! and Experience It!

Don’t forget to keep checking the blog for all the latest Erie County Fair news and more.

The Fairgrounds has Announced Plans for a State of the Art Agriculture Complex

Hamburg, NY-The Board of Directors of the Erie County Agricultural Society has unveiled plans to construct a new 60,000 square foot Agriculture Discovery Center.

 The Agriculture Discovery Center will be a state-of-the-art complex which will provide visitors with an opportunity to learn and experience the profound place agriculture has on our daily lives. The facility will host agriculture education programming year round including many interactive exhibits designed to enhance the learning experience.

Preliminary sketches were presented to the members of the Erie County Agricultural Society at its Annual Meeting held on December 12, 2012. Plans will be to incorporate the popular Milkable  Mabel, the Blacksmith Shop and the Milking Parlor into the new complex.

 Demolition of the current Ag-Sperience Barn along with Barns 7 and 8 will begin following the 2013 Fair so that the Agriculture Discovery Center can be ready for the 175th Anniversary of the Erie County Fair in August 2014.

Click here for a short video about the Erie County Fair’s past and commitment to the future with plans for the NEW Agriculture Discovery Center.

The Erie County Fair has recently received prestigious honors from the International Association of Fairs & Expos (IAFE) for several of the advertising elements used for and during the 2012 Erie County Fair.   The IAFE represents more than 1,300 fairs around the world with a purpose of promoting and encouraging the development and improvement of agricultural fairs, shows and expositions.

At the latest Awards Reception in Las Vegas, Nevada during the Annual IAFE Convention, the Erie County Fair was presented with several  awards in the Hall of Honor Communication Awards including

• 1st Place - Brochure - for the official Fair brochure
• 1st Place -  Poster - for 2012 Erie County Fair theme poster
• 1st place - Brochure/Flyer Series - for the Daily Highlight Sheets distributed at the gates
• 2nd place - Magazine Ad - for an ad published in Edible Buffalo Magazine
• 3rd Place - Best Individual Mobile Effort - for the Fairgrounds Mobile App
• 3rd Place - Promotion Event - for the Wild About Hair Competition

There are a total of 26 award categories for the Communication Awards, each category divided into 5 divisions separated by attendance.  With the Erie County Fair exceeding 1 million in attendance at the 2012 Fair,  competition was among Texas State Fair,  Minnesota State Fair, Canadian National Exhibition, Calgary Stampede and many more.  The purpose of this competition is to improve the advertising and publicity programs of fairs and o provide recognition for those fairs doing and outstanding job.

ERIE COUNTY FAIR TALENT SHOW WINNERS

Mini Division

1^st Place                Claire Gorman, Age 11, Hamburg                             

           Vocal          Flat on the Floor         

2^nd Place               Madison Moonan, Age 8, Lackawanna                  

           Aero Solo    It’s all about Me

3^rd Place               Luca Sullivan, Age 10, Elma                                          

           Vocal            Bullet Proof

4^th Place               Emily Whelan, Age 10, Buffalo                                   

           Aero Solo    Beautiful Bird

5^th Place               Mia Marshall, Age 7, Buffalo                                      

           Dance Solo   Joyful Noise

Maxi Division

1^st Place                Harper Wells, Age 14, Elma

          Vocal     Give Your Heart a Break

2^nd Place               Kendil Banks & Jon Rivera ~ Ages 18 & 19,    Buffalo

                                   Contemporary Duet  One & Only

3^rd Place               Hayley Johnston & Heather Wood ~ Ages 16 & 17,  Buffalo

                                   Lyrical Duet         Someone Like You          

4^th Place               Catie Raess, Age 27, Lancaster                                  

          Vocal

5^th Place               Kim Gabel, Age 14, Lawtons                                       

          Vocal     Wine & Song                                     

The Fair has ended just a few days ago and the grounds that were exploding with fried dough, music, rides, and fairgoers have been transformed back into a parking lot. To passerbys it looks as though the 2012 Fair has never happened but for the 1,031,750 of you that walked through our gates you know differently!

 The 2012 Erie County Fair celebrated new competitions, like WILD About Hair, saw some excellent concerts, like Boston, Blake Shelton, and Victoria Justice, and welcomed families, friends, neighbors and visitors from all over WNY and beyond. The Moo-turnity Ward welcomed five calves to the Erie County Fair family, the demolition derby demolished 140 cars and the Nerveless Nocks flew 40 feet above amazed crowds.

 Overall, the Fair was a huge success but it is not without the help of an amazing staff of people that work year round, come in just for Fair time and volunteer to insure the event goes off without a hitch.

However, what really makes the Fair such a WILD event is all of the Fairgoers! We wouldn’t throw a Fair anymore if no one came! And you came from everywhere!

We hope that you had a WILD time at the Erie County Fair and we truly hope to see you back here next year for the 2013 Fair. Mark your calendars- August 7-18! The Erie County Fair- Experience It!

Have a WILD day and a safe and happy year until we see you again!

PS. Click here if you want to see the Demolition Derby Results…we know a lot of you have been asking!