Month: April 2019

 

Get to the Fair early on Wednesday, August 14^th and hit the chow line for “Breakfast With Champions.” This inaugural fundraiser, to benefit the Erie County Agricultural Society’s Scholarship Fund, will include a country-style breakfast featuring Western New York sourced sausage, eggs and maple syrup along with pancakes and home fries. During the event the Fair will put the spotlight on winners of our 4-H and FFA competitions as well as 2019 recipients of the Society’s scholarships. Breakfast will be served beginning at 8:30a inside Barn 1. Guest are asked to use Gate 1A (McKinley Parkway near Quinby)

 

 

“We are proud of our youth winners who tirelessly work to be the best,” said Jessica Underberg, Fair CEO. “Members of 4-H, FFA and the recipients of our agriculture and Fair scholarships are quickly becoming leaders in their communities. By attending ‘Breakfast With Champions’ we are investing in the future of Western New York.”

 

 

Preparations for “Breakfast With Champions” began last year when a prized hog was purchased by the Society at the 4-H livestock auction. Following the Fair, the animal was processed and made into sausage that will be served at the breakfast taking place inside the Fair’s Barn 1.

 

 

Tickets for “Breakfast With Champions” go on sale May 1^st online at www.ECFair.org and at the Fairgrounds Main office. The cost includes breakfast and admission to the Fair. The cost is $25 pre-sale/$30 at the event with proceeds to benefit the Erie County Agricultural Society’s Scholarship Fund. Fair Exhibitors may purchase tickets for $18 during time of online entries. A limited number of tickets are available for this event.

 

 

Annually, the Erie County Agricultural Society presents up to $20,000 in scholarship opportunities to students who participate in the Erie County Fair. Scholarships are awarded based on general Fair participation and those involved in agricultural related activities. Since its inception in the 1950s, the goal of the scholarship program has been to connect the region’s students with agriculture, business, and volunteerism.

 

“Breakfast With Champions” is supported by APEX Agricultural Products Extension, LLC. and Eggland’s Best.

 

The Erie County Fair is proud to present The Australian Pink Floyd Show on Friday, August 16^th at 8pm at the Gusto Grandstand. The group is the leading and biggest show of its kind in the world, performing the music of Pink Floyd with note-for-note perfection. This critically-acclaimed tribute show has been astonishing audiences worldwide since 1988. Striving to reproduce the Pink Floyd experience and bring the music to new audiences, the show continues to include a stunning light and laser show, video animations, filmed sequences on a large LED screen and other special effects. Tickets for the show go on sale Thursday, May 2^nd at 10am.

 

 

The Australian Pink Floyd Show is currently performing during their “All That You Love” world tour. Selling four million tickets worldwide and described by international press as “The Gold Standard” and “The Kings of the Genre,” the group has performed in over 35 countries, played at Pink Floyd found member David Gilmore’s 50th birthday celebration where they were joined onstage by fellow Pink Floyd founding member Rick Wright.

 

 

The show pays homage to the music of Pink Floyd and takes concertgoers on a musical journey featuring classics from their most iconic albums, Meddle, The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall Expect to hear Pink Floyd hits like “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” “Another Brick In The Wall,” “Money,” Time,” and “Comfortably Numb.”

 

 

Tickets for The Australian Pink Floyd Show will go on sale to the general public at 10a, Thursday, May 2^nd at Tickets.com, by phone at 1-888-223-6000, or in person at the Fairgrounds Main Office. Tickets start at $28 for general admission and $40/$55 for reserved seating. Office hours are Monday-Friday from 9:00a-4:30p. Tickets purchased prior to the day of the show include admission to the Erie County Fair on the day of the performance.

 

The 7^th Annual Empire State Beef Classic will be held at the Erie County Fairgrounds in Hamburg, New York on April 12-14, 2019.  The show is open to exhibitors of all ages and gives individuals experience prior to showing at their local county and/or state fair. This year’s show will feature a breeding heifer show at 8a and showmanship classes at 2p on Saturday, April 13^th. The market heifer and steer show will be on Sunday, April 14^th at 8a. The judge for the Junior Showmanship Competition, the Open Heifer Show and Open Market Animal Show will be Taylor Frank of El Dorado, KS.

 

 

In 2018, the three day show featured 200 exhibitors representing the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, Michigan and Wisconsin as well as international entries from Canada. $7000 in premiums and prizes were awarded.

 

 

Late entries will be accepted up until 8p on Saturday, April 13^th. For more information or entry forms please visit www.the-fairgrounds.com and click on “Livestock/Equine Events.” Inquires can also be made by phone at (716) 649-3900 ext. 6480.

 

 

The show is presented by the Erie County Agricultural Society with support from WW Livestock Systems, Kent Feeds, Campbell Land & Cattle, & Eder Mulch. Since its founding in 1819, the mission of the Erie County Agricultural Society has been to preserve and enhance, by educational endeavors, the agricultural and historical legacy of New York State.

 

Darci Lynne Farmer, who at just 12-years of age won NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” for her singing ventriloquism, will bring her all new Fresh Out of the Box Tour to the Gusto Grandstand at the Erie County Fair on Wednesday, August 7^th at 7:30pm. General admission tickets are $20; reserved track seats at $30/$38 and go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 12^th at 10am.

 

 

“This is a perfect, family-friendly show to kickoff the 180^th Erie County Fair,” said Jessica Underberg, Erie County Fair CEO.

 

 

Winning NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” by the most votes for a final performance in the history of the show, singer/ventriloquist Darci Lynne Farmer impresses audiences across the country with her sweetheart disposition and undeniable show stopping talent beyond her years. Accompanied by her musical friends including a divaesque rabbit: Petunia, a shy and soulful mouse: Oscar and a sarcastic old woman: Edna. Singing through her friends helped the young entertainer find a voice inside she didn’t know she had and helped her overcome a lifelong struggle with shyness.

 

 

An Oklahoma native, Darci began participating in talent-based pageants at a young age, and picked up ventriloquism shortly after. Two weeks later, Darci began tackling talent shows, eventually making it to the biggest talent show on television, NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.” Following her big win, she has been featured on NBC’s “Little Big Shots,” Food Network’s “Kids Baking Championship,” “Ellen” and “TODAY.”

 

 

Tickets for Darci Lynne will go on sale to the general public at 10a, Friday, April 12^th at Tickets.com, by phone at 1-888-223-6000, or in person at the Fairgrounds Main Office. Office hours are Monday-Friday from 9:00a-4:30p. Tickets purchased prior to the day of the show include admission to the Erie County Fair on the day of the performance.

 

The first steps in the process to determine which homebrew and cider will be named the 2019 Erie County Fair Best In Show has been scheduled. Beginning today, Monday, April 1^st, homebrewers and hard cider makers from across New York State may submit their brews and ciders in the Fair’s Homebrew and Hard Cider Making Competitions. The annual summer release of the limited run, craft beer based on the winning brew has become an anticipated tradition at the Erie County Fair for beer lovers. 2019 is the first year for the Fair’s hard cider making competition.

 

 

Homebrew and cider hobbyists have until Friday, April 5^th to submit their bottles for judging. In addition to the opportunity to win a gold medal for excellence, both the Erie County Fair Homebrew and Hard Cider Competition top entries will be professionally produced and named the 2019 “Erie County Fair Best In Show Beer” and “Erie County Fair Best In Show Cider.”

 

 

A $20 entry fee allows homebrewers to submit up to five entries in categorical styles ranging from lagers and pilsners to a variety of ales. Cider makers can submit hard ciders in categorical styles that include modern cider, fruit cider, hop cider, spiced cider, wood-aged cider and an “anything goes” class. Any New York State resident is eligible to enter the competitions. Judging is scheduled to take place Saturday, April 27^th inside the Fair’s Ag-Grange Building. Top brews and ciders will be selected through a blind tasting panel.

 

 

Once “Best of Show” winners are determined, the competitors will be asked to submit the recipe which will then be turned over to Flying Bison Brewery and BlackBird Cider Works.  The recipes will be analyzed to ensure that it is commercially and legally producible. Once kegged, Try-It Distributing will distribute the finished products for public purchase at select Western New York outlets prior to the Fair. During the Erie County Fair, several on-premises locations will feature the award winning beer and cider.

 

 

Those interested in entering the competition can find complete rules and guidelines on the Erie County website (www.ECFair.org). Entries can be dropped off on Monday, April 1^st through Friday, April 5^th between 9am and 5pm (with a copy of the entry form) to the Main Office of the Fairgrounds. Entries can also be dropped off at Flying Bison Brewing Company on April 4^th or 5^th between the hours of 12pm and 8pm. Those dropping off brew entries at Flying Bison will be able to take home a filled growler of Flying Bison brew for $5. Cider entries can also be dropped off at the Buffalo Cider Hall located at 155 Chandler Street on April 4th or 5th between the hours of 4p and 10p.

 

 

The judging of beer and hard cider is just two of the competitions held annually by the Erie County Fair. In 2019, over 13,000 entries are expected to be received and judged by the Fair’s Competitive Exhibits Office. The wide range of ribbon winning categories include agriculture, conservation and creative arts, among others. Entry information for all other categories will be available online starting May 1st.

 

An ensemble lineup of legendary pop music superstars from the 60s & 70s return to the Erie County Fair’s Gusto Grandstand in 2019. The Happy Together Tour will take to the stage on Wednesday, August 14^th at 7:30pm. Tickets for this star packed show go on sale this Thursday, April 4^th at 10:00am.  This year’s lineup features The Turtles, Chuck Negron formerly of Three Dog Night, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, The Buckinghams, The Classics IV and The Cowsills.

 

 

The Turtles had several Top 40 hits, including the sing-a-long “Happy Together”. Chuck Negron was the lead vocalist on Three Dog Night’s No. 1 smash “Joy to the World”. Gary Puckett & The Union Gap rose to fame with songs like “Woman, Woman” and “Young Girl”. The Buckinghams had five Top 40 hits in the US, including “Kind of a Drag” which peaked at No. 1 in 1967. The Classics IV (“Spooky”, “Traces”) and The Cowsills (“Hair”) will also perform.

 

 

The Turtles continue to be the signature headliners of the Happy Together Tour. As always, Mark Volman will bring his infamous antics to the stage along with the Archie’s Ron Dante (who will again be replacing Howard Kaylan). Together they will be performing all of the Turtles’ magical Top 40 Hits including “It Ain’t Me Babe,” “Elenore,” “She’d Rather Be With Me,” “You Showed Me”, and the title of the tour “Happy Together.”

 

 

Chuck Negron, formerly of Three Dog Night, is back on the Happy Together Tour due to popular demand! He brings Three Dog Night’s biggest hits to the stage, including “Joy To The World,” “Mama Told Me Not To Come,” “Shambala,” “One”, “Easy To Be Hard” among others.

 

 

The Classics IV is the newest addition to the Happy Together lineup. With their southern soft rock sound, they are one of the most popular and influential pop groups of the 60s and 70s. They achieved phenomenal success with multiplatinum hits “Spooky,” “Stormy,” “Traces,” and Everyday With You Girl.”

 

 

The Buckinghams will be back on the tour for the first time in five years! The band formed in 1966, and went on to become one of the top selling acts of 1967, including their #1 hit “Kind of a Drag,” and other hits “Don’t You Care,” ”Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” and “Hey Baby, They’re Playing Our Song” With 3 chart hits at one time on 2 labels, in 1967, Billboard Magazine named them “The Most Listened to Band in America.”

 

 

The Cowsills have been dazzling crowds the last four years on the Happy Together Tour with their effervescent brand of contagious pop magic. Bob, Paul and Susan Cowsill are a family singing group and the original inspiration for television’s, The Partridge Family. Best known for songs “The Rain, The Park and Other Things,” “Hair,” “Indian Lake” and “Love American Style.” The Cowsills appeared on numerous TV shows including The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

 

 

Tickets for the Happy Together Tour will go on sale Thursday, April 4^th 10:00am. Preferred track seats at $35, reserved track seats at $30 and general admission tickets are $25. Tickets may be purchased online via Tickets.com, by phone at 1-888-223-6000, or in person at the Fairgrounds Main Office. Office hours are Monday-Friday from 8:30am-4:30pm. Tickets purchased prior to the day of the show include admission to the Erie County Fair on the day of the show.

 

 

About the Erie County Fair

The Erie County Agricultural Society is a private not-for-profit membership organization. Established in 1819, the Society is the oldest civic organization in Western New York. The mission of the Erie County Agricultural Society (ECAS), sponsors of the Erie County Fair, is to preserve and enhance, by educational endeavors, the agricultural and historical legacy of New York State. The Fair strives to fulfill appropriate aspects of the agricultural, educational, entertainment and recreational needs of Western New York.  The 180th Erie County Fair will be held August 7th – 18th, 2019. (www.ECFair.org).