The smell of popcorn and funnel cake is flowing as the carnival comes to town this summer. Hosted by the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, and presented by Dreamland Entertainment, the 2023 edition of the Empire State Fair includes many more interactive attractions, too.
Every day features a rotation of events for people to enjoy, with an all-day educational petting zoo experience, shows running every hour, and fireworks on select days. The fair also includes over 20 rides for people of all ages.
This year’s event will be beneficial to the local community, explained David Erickson, one of the fair’s managers, in an interview with Anton Media Group. “At this site there’s probably 100 people working for us. Plus the vendors, plus the food, plus the games. So, economically it’s a big impact.”
Local businesses have also received a boost from the fair being in town, Erickson said. “The expenses for running a show like this is high. Everybody [involved] is spending money in the community. Every supplier has to buy their supplies, and that’s all done locally.”
While much of the fair is found locally, you can also see something unfamiliar. Through Eudora Wildlife Safari Park, the fair is hosting a petting zoo of exotic animals.
Gregory Steadman, manager for Eudora Farms, talked about the petting zoo experience that Eudora Farms provides. “These guys here are not carnival animals. We start them off when they are young, we train them and get them to be very sweet, gentle and social. We want to offer a fun family activity where they can learn about animals. Oftentimes people are a little nervous with animals. This is a good approach for you to get comfortable and learn more about them.”
Steadman also discussed the goals of Eudora Farms: “We want to bring an educational portion to the public. Not too often that people get to witness animals like this and we’re all about animal conservation and preservation, but the first step of that is education.”
If exotic animals aren’t for you, you can also check out the circus, as the Royal Hanneford Circus performs their many acts under the big top every two hours. The Royal Hanneford Circus focuses on bringing a fresh look to family entertainment. Training starts early, as many performers have been in the circus their whole lives.
Carlos Rios, manager of the circus performance, spoke about what the event means to the performers. “It’s really nice for us, we always come to New York around this time. We get to see a lot of similar faces. We’re just really happy to be back every year with Dreamland Amusements.”
“I’m seventh generation myself, my son becomes eighth on my side and ninth on his mother’s side. We were born and raised in circus and show business and we travel for a living and do this every day of our lives. This is it for us,” Rios said.
Erickson also commented, “Being on the ground, putting your feet on the street, and really feeling the excitement of other people. The kids screaming on the rides, the smell of the food…it’s something real. You’re in the middle of something. You feel it. You feel the energy.”
The Empire State Fair will be open every day (barring weather) through July 16th.