The fair never fails to enchant
Stories from the 2025 New York State Fair
Thirteen reporters roamed the fairgrounds on the Great New York State Fair’s closing weekend in search of the essence of central New York’s largest annual event. Here’s what they found.
The greatest people-watching extravaganza north of New York City ended last night as the 2025 Great New York State Fair turned off its dazzling lights for the final time this year.
We deployed a team of reporters to capture scenes from the closing weekend of the 13-day event that drew nearly a million people this year. Among the crowds, we heard children squeal in delight at the prospect of taking home a baby goat. We saw an artist bring a canvas to life. And we witnessed a young girl build a house for some resident hummingbirds.
Here’s some of the sights and sounds that captured our attention.
A guide to “what’s out there”
Crowds press in to see the trout, bass and other fish circling behind glass. Families point toward the placards overhead in the DEC Aquarium building at the state fair on Thursday, while children cling to the rail for a closer look.
Behind the counter, Courtney White, now in her third year working at the state Department of Environmental Conservation booth, slides brochures across the desk while fielding questions from curious fairgoers.
On the counter sit copies of Conservationist magazine, which White describes as “a really fun outdoor magazine.” White smiles as she explains how her agency works across the state, the stream of traffic constant. One visitor leaves with a free sticker, another with a trail map. One guest asks White to email her with more information.
“It’s a chance,” White said of the fair, “to show people what’s out there in New York.”
– Michael Gaither
Stop, drop and roll
A handful of families sit scattered among the rows of red, green and brown benches. The youngest children sit closest to the front, eyes wandering.
They’ve stopped for the show — or maybe just a place to rest — at the make-believe village, “Fire Safety Town USA,” tucked in between “Chief Harold Smith Way” and “Lt. Bob Snogles Boulevard” in the Science and Industry Building
It’s 3:30 p.m. Friday, and “Fire Safety for You” cues up. “‘Stop, drop and roll,’” the video instructs, a catchy tune playing in the background.
The next act featured an oversized smoke detector with a bright red firefighter hat, and a cheerful expression emerged from behind a red stage door. It was Hector the Smoke Detector, accompanied by his friend, Buddy the Battery.
Thomas Klementowski, the man behind the smoke detector costume, is an inspector for the Fire Prevention Bureau. A little girl dressed in an all-pink outfit, who had been one of the children with wandering eyes, waved as he taught the audience how to test their smoke detectors and reminded them to do it once a month.
“Oh, it’s a riot. It’s a lot of fun,” Klementowski said. “You get to put on this costume, dance around, and have fun, and make it enjoyable and comfortable.”
Bringing a blank canvas to life
Graffiti artist and muralist Tino Lopez takes a short pause and thinks, studying the canvas. Then he takes out a highlighter and maps out shapes, and an image on the canvas begins to emerge.
As Lopez plans out his color palette and begins his painting, curious onlookers on stop to see what he’s up to. Little by little, he fills in the shapes with a green color palette, using a mix of light and heavy brush strokes. Soon, the image of a green face and hands stands out, with a black drip detailing the background.
This is Lopez’s third year at the fair in Latino Village. His memory of the fair goes back to childhood.
“I love the fair,” he said. “It’s always been big in my family. My mom used to take us every year. I can’t ever remember really not going unless I was sick or something. I always come here.”
Building joy at the fair
Wearing a light blue shirt and pink shorts, little Dayana Hilgenberg grinned as she tapped a screw into place with a tiny hammer. Her mom, Bronte Hilgenberg, stood nearby while a volunteer guided Dayana’s small hands through the steps of building a nest box.
The Hilgenbergs arrived at the fair around 1 p.m. on Friday. While looking for something to eat, Dayana spotted the birdhouse building demonstration. She saw it as the perfect opportunity to build a house for the more than five kinds of hummingbirds that flit through her backyard every day.
“I’m going to take it home so I’ll have a lot of birds that go around my house,” Dayana said. “It’s nice to build houses for birds in case they don’t have any homes.”
All Time Low delivers high energy
A mix of grass, beer and cigarettes fills the air around Suburban Park as hundreds of music fans mingle by the stage waiting for the band All Time Low on Saturday evening.
Concertgoers of all ages situated themselves across the green grounds, some sprawled across blankets as they sipped on their vodka seltzers and indulged in classic fair foods such as cheese fries and corn dogs.
Amongst them, holding a cup of chocolate-covered strawberries was Danielle Gnielle, an avid fan of live music.
“This is my fourth or fifth concert at the fair. I’ve seen AJR, Neon Trees, and now we’re seeing All Time Low; it’s my first time seeing them,” Gnielle said. “Seeing concerts is my favorite thing at the fair. It’s just such good energy, and there’s always so many good people.”
Want a new pet? How about a goat!
Loud chatter fills the air as people of all ages gather on Sunday afternoon around a small pen inside the Goat Pavilion. Smiles spread on faces as eyes peek over shoulders to catch a glimpse of the talked-about baby goat up for raffle, Ororo Storm.
Children coo and reach for the small goat as she prances around, her hooves bringing up straw and adding to the musty smell in the air.
Dairy goat farmer Michelle Bishop-Utano enters the pen with a laugh as Ororo Storm stuck her head through the metal bars. The black-and-white goat backed up and bucked, only trapping herself more. Bishop-Utano quickly frees her and lifts her easily, Ororo Storm’s grey ears flopping.
“I figured I would go ahead and do my turn and donate the kid,” said Bishop-Utano, explaining the goat raffle. “The money we collect is actually used for the youth.”
Bishop-Utano sets Ororo Storm back on the ground, the young goat nudging her legs with her nose.
Racing pigs, sooie!
The red and black checkered flags wave in the wind on Sunday as the sun shines on the race track. “Cotton Eye Joe” plays through the speakers as fans clap to the beat of the tune. People discuss how much money they should put on the race. Little kids dance as they wait for the spectacle to begin.
This isn’t any race. This is Hollywood Racing Pigs.
Before the start of the race, Crystal Coronas, the lively voice over the loudspeakers, selects the most enthusiastic children in the crowd to lead the cheering squad. Coronas then asks the crowd to yell “sooo-ie” as loud as they can to encourage the pigs to run faster.
“I think (fairgoers are) automatically a little bit excited,” Coronas said. “We are a comedy show, and we start slow and build it up, and we always seem to get a really great response.”
Drag and cultural pride take the stage
The salsa dancers at Latino Village on Sunday afternoon were soon joined by a crowd gathering in front of the stage, undeterred by a cool breeze that began blowing through the fairgrounds.
Elisa Morales — the Latino Village’s superintendent, who is Puerto Rican and a Syracuse resident — wore a distinctive straw hat known as “la pava” and welcomed the public to an annual performance eagerly anticipated by the crowd.
Hosted by longtime drag queen Samantha Vega, the Latin Divas of Drag featured four other performers: Elizabeth Conde, Natalie Taylor, Eva Flow and Rhea Listic.
The group delivered a full-hour show, lip-syncing and reimagining performances by Puerto Rican rapper Ivy Queen and the late Cuban salsa singer Celia Cruz, among others.
Many people shouted and cheered, especially when Vega called out to them from the stage.
Vega, a Venezuelan, called to see if any fellow Venezuelans were present at the event, but no one responded. “Oh, right, we are getting deported,” she quipped.
Vega sees power in the performances. “We can create moments like this,” Vega said in a Facebook post, “where people of all ages, ethnicities, backgrounds, and abilities are participating in QUEER JOY!”
– Wesley J. Pérez Vidal
Letting the lathe do the work
Charlie LaPrease pumps his foot up and down to power the springpole lathe. The wood attached to the lathe spins, and LaPrease positions his chisel at the right angle to carve the pattern he wants. Wood shavings peel away and fall to the ground.
LaPrease, taking part in a demonstration sponsored by the Woodworkers of Central New York, said the key is to position the tool just right and to then hold it steady.
“The tool isn’t moving,” he said, “but it is still doing the work.”
– Sullivan Towe
Soap-making, 19th century style
Several misshapen balls, about the size of a golf ball, rest on a table at the Lorenzo State Historic Site tent. They look like meatballs, but they’re not for eating.
“They’re wash balls. They used them as soap in the 19th century,” said Melinda Reeder, who helps fairgoers make their own.
The wash balls are made from three simple ingredients: oats, lavender, and castile soap. Visitors mix the dry elements as Reeder adds drops of soap, creating a sticky, fragrant concoction.
“Get it in your hand and squeeze it so it keeps coming together,” Reeder said. “Once you get it all packed together in your hand, you can just start rolling it up like a meatball.”
Once the wash balls are formed, attendees can take them home in a paper bag.
“Let them dry for three to four days and then they’re good to use,” Reeder said, “just like bar soap.”
– Daniel Gavilondo
Shazam gets it done; the hot dog helped
“Raise the bar, raise the bar,” audience members of all ages shout from the metal bleachers.
In the grassy ring, Shazam, a black-and-white rescue dog turned performer, shakes out his fur and stares at the bar, set to 8 1/2 feet high. Twice, he had tried to jump over it. Twice, he failed.
Trainer Ethan Wilhelm crouches down, slipping Shazam a piece of hot dog as a form of encouragement. The crowd cheers as “The Greatest Showman” theme song plays.
Shazam runs, jumps off the back of a trainer, and soars over the bar. The stands erupt; everyone is on their feet. Wilhelm scoops up Shazam and hugs him tight.
Wilhelm and his wife started The Canine Stars in 2012 as an educational entertainment act that showcases rescue dogs through agility, high-jumping, and trick routines.
“They’re basically professional athletes,” Wilhelm said of the dogs. “It’s just really special to have this many people come three times a day to basically cheer for my kids. It makes me a proud dad.”
Fresh food among the fried
The pungent aromas of Korean hot dogs, popcorn, beer and fried Oreos seem a bit out of place amid the leafy crops growing out of large, white, rectangular planters.
Pumpkins, potatoes, apples and corn are just some of the plants that sprout from beds of soil. Next to each planter is a sign that explains the significance and role of each crop to the New York agriculture system.
Supervising the Voice of the Farmer Garden at the state fair on Monday is Harold Nugent, the garden’s natural resource educator. He is there to answer questions and also spend quality time with his daughter. She’s over at a kid-sized picnic table, working through a container of Dippin’ Dots.
“It’s something different than what most of the fair is,” Nugent said of the installation, designed to educate New Yorkers about the state’s agriculture industry and where their fresh, New York State Grown & Certified produce comes from. “This is a little oasis where you can learn a little bit.”
Pure muscle power
Biceps shaking, neck sweating and only 20 seconds left on the clock. The crowd starts counting down in unison. Two men hung side by side, their straight arms choking smooth, black-metal bars.
One drops down in defeat. The crowd gasps. But Leiraun Baldwin continues to hold tight.
“Come on baby,” Baldwin’s partner cheers. “You got this!”
There’s a traffic jam on Restaurant Row as spectators stop to cheer Baldwin, also known as Black Ice, in the “Beat the Bar” dead hang challenge.
Last year, Baldwin dropped to the ground during the “Beat the Bar” challenge with only four seconds left on the clock. This year, he returned to the competition with one goal in mind — to go home with $150 in his pocket.
A professional arm wrestler, Baldwin spent the past year training for a chance at redemption at the New York State Fair. And it worked. The crowd finishes their applause as Baldwin poses with a stack of cash in his hands.
Baldwin said he is going to spend the prize money on his boys and beer.
“I got to give all my boys a break,” he said as he playfully slapped the shoulder of his arm-wrestling buddy.