Come one, come all, to the Erie County Fair
Fairgoers enjoy the "Searay" on the midway last year at the Erie County Fair in Hamburg.
August 5, 2011
from: buffalonews.com
By Kristy Kibler
News Staff Reporter
An iron giant of a locomotive huffs and puffs its way into town, at long last satisfying the hordes of eager eyes straining for a first glimpse of the mile-long train. As the engine and its accompanying 61 cars pull into the Hamburg station with a groan of straining gears and brakes and one last lingering, melancholy whistle, the hundreds assembled break into cheers and applause.
James E. Strates Shows has arrived, and that means one thing: It's time for the Erie County Fair.
You could be forgiven for thinking this is a moment straight out of the past, circa 1934. But it could be from 1950, 1985 or 2010 just as easily -- Western New York crowds have been gathering to welcome Strates Shows, the last railroad carnival in the nation and the midway provider of the Erie County Fair since 1924, from the beginning. Only now, instead of featuring side show acts, burlesque dancers and performing animals, the Strates Shows team unloads, assembles and operates up to 80 amusement rides. Combined with the approximate 120 independently owned game booths and food vendors Strates manages, the fair has quite a main thoroughfare on its hands.
"When you talk to anyone who's come to the fair throughout their life ... the midway, it's magical," said Lou Ann Delaney, the fair's director of marketing and public relations. "It creates a lot of memories."
The fair is an annual tradition for Lisa Aeschbacher of West Seneca. Now 23, Aeschbacher has been attending the fair at least one day a year all her life. In her younger years, it heralded the end of summer, and it remains an August staple for her and her family. She's even persuaded more skeptical friends to give it a chance, confident they'll find something that appeals to them.
"There's something that caters to every single person," Aeschbacher said. "It doesn't matter if you're a ride person, it doesn't matter if you're there for the food, if you're there for the exhibits or the animals ... there's something there for everyone."
For more than 85 years, Strates Shows has provided the fair's kaleidoscope of entertainment with an unfailing foundation -- the rides may change, but the innovation, customer satisfaction and consistent management don't.
read more:
http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/gusto/article512076.ece
Fairgoers enjoy the "Searay" on the midway last year at the Erie County Fair in Hamburg.August 5, 2011
from: buffalonews.com
By Kristy Kibler
News Staff Reporter
An iron giant of a locomotive huffs and puffs its way into town, at long last satisfying the hordes of eager eyes straining for a first glimpse of the mile-long train. As the engine and its accompanying 61 cars pull into the Hamburg station with a groan of straining gears and brakes and one last lingering, melancholy whistle, the hundreds assembled break into cheers and applause.
James E. Strates Shows has arrived, and that means one thing: It's time for the Erie County Fair.
You could be forgiven for thinking this is a moment straight out of the past, circa 1934. But it could be from 1950, 1985 or 2010 just as easily -- Western New York crowds have been gathering to welcome Strates Shows, the last railroad carnival in the nation and the midway provider of the Erie County Fair since 1924, from the beginning. Only now, instead of featuring side show acts, burlesque dancers and performing animals, the Strates Shows team unloads, assembles and operates up to 80 amusement rides. Combined with the approximate 120 independently owned game booths and food vendors Strates manages, the fair has quite a main thoroughfare on its hands.
"When you talk to anyone who's come to the fair throughout their life ... the midway, it's magical," said Lou Ann Delaney, the fair's director of marketing and public relations. "It creates a lot of memories."
The fair is an annual tradition for Lisa Aeschbacher of West Seneca. Now 23, Aeschbacher has been attending the fair at least one day a year all her life. In her younger years, it heralded the end of summer, and it remains an August staple for her and her family. She's even persuaded more skeptical friends to give it a chance, confident they'll find something that appeals to them.
"There's something that caters to every single person," Aeschbacher said. "It doesn't matter if you're a ride person, it doesn't matter if you're there for the food, if you're there for the exhibits or the animals ... there's something there for everyone."
For more than 85 years, Strates Shows has provided the fair's kaleidoscope of entertainment with an unfailing foundation -- the rides may change, but the innovation, customer satisfaction and consistent management don't.
read more:
http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/gusto/article512076.ece
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