Erie County Fair Trip 2017
We love these trips. There is much more than walking around and see- ing friends, our conces- sionaires, or our midway folks. On these trips, we learn and we bring fresh and innovative ideas to our own Fairs. We get to know folks from other Fairs in Florida who we wouldn't get to know otherwise, and the camaraderie is unequal.
The 265-acre Erie County Fair is located in Hamburg, just 20 minutes south of Buffalo, New York, and is a 12-day event. We heard that an EF-2 tornado had hit the Fairgrounds one month to the day before opening day and were marveled to see the grounds in perfect shape at its 178th edition.
We arrived at our hotel on Thursday, August 17 and went to the Anchor Bar, where the Buffalo Wing was invented back in
the VIP Lounge where Board Members and Staff welcomed us to the Fair. So creative and original! On Friday, we headed to the Fair early for an IAP (Incident Action Plan) and Department Head meeting in the clubhouse. We loved the fact that they have
1964 thanks to Matt Daly (South Florida Fair) who made res- ervations for the whole group. It was a great way to start our trip and share the expectations with everyone else, before heading to the Fairgrounds for a cocktail reception at the Fair's Agriculture Discovery Center. When we arrived, we were guided to the in- side of a silo built inside the building, where the second floor is
morning meetings with ALL departments and committee heads to go over the previous day and what's in store for the day. Shortly after, the Erie County Fair Staff and Committee chairs paired up with us to tour areas of the Fair operation we wanted to see more of.
The grounds are beautiful, with lots of green, grassy areas to rest in a park-like atmosphere. The roads and concourses are wide, as well as the midway (Strates Shows) layout. We were amazed to witness how quickly they turn the grounds around after the Tor- nado. We didn't see any damage, even though we knew the tor- nado ripped through the grounds and over the Gusto Grandstand, shattering dozens of car windows, blowing tree branches and even a park bench onto a building.
Continued on page 11 FAIRCRACKER-FALL 2017 9
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
