THE BALLOON MAN

Opening day attendance at NYS Fair lowest in 23 years

From: syracuse.com
By Chris Baker
August 23, 2013
The total attendance on opening day of the New York State Fair Thursday was 41,923. That number represents the lowest opening day totals since the fair first expanded to 12 days in 1990.

Since doing just 23,896 on the first-ever opening Thursday in 1990, numbers have waxed and waned, peaking at 74,385 in 2000.

Last year on opening day, the fair attracted 46,703, the lowest opening day since 1990 prior to yesterday. Last year was also the fair's worst year for total attendance since 1991. The fair attract 845,595 total over 12 days.

Free entertainment yesterday included hip-hop group Salt-n-Pepa and rockers Grace Potter & the Nocturnals at Chevy Court. The grandstand played host to metal band Korn with an estimated crowd of 3,000.

The State Fair was also overshadowed by President Barack Obama's visit to Henninger High School across town. More than 1,000 people turned out to see the president speak or simply to wait outside to catch a glimpse.