My Lifelong Love-A-Fair

Years before my first ever trip to Walt Disney World, I spent the day at the Erie County Fair in Hamburg, NY. And then we went back the next year. And the year after that.

Maybe. I can't say for sure that we went every year, but I know my grandparents and my dad loved it, so I'm sure we did. One year, we even ventured to Syracuse for the NY State Fair. I don't remember that, either. But I vividly remember the photo of me, holding my blankie, at the top of the giant slide before I went sliding down. And if I can easily dig it out, I will add it here. I know I have it somewhere.

I had the most incredible childhood. And the fair reminds me of that. When I'm at the fair, everything is right with the world.

My grandma would pack a picnic lunch and I would spend the morning begging to do the kid things while my dad and grandparents would want to walk through the buildings. We did it all. Riding rides. Playing games. I remember loving the rubber ducky game where you paid your quarter, and selected a ducky as it went swimming by. We would ride the tram. We would eat our picnic lunch and I would beg for one of the ice cream cones that had two sections for ice cream, was covered in chocolate, and dipped in peanuts. They called it a "walking sundae". I'm quite positive one year I won a goldfish. We would try to get on the local news station who had a booth set up. "We're (hold up four fingers) FOUR Buffalo!" And then we'd do it all over again until it was time to go home.

My memories from when I was younger are all jumbled together. I don't know what happened first, I don't remember all the food options (aside from those ice cream cones), and I don't even remember if we went to see the animals. But they were some of the best days of my life. When I didn't really want summer to end. When I didn't realize I was too hot. When the lazy, hazy days seemed to linger forever. When I didn't want to go home, but probably fell sound asleep on the drive home.

My grandma enjoyed the flowers (which was also a common them at Walt Disney World), and my grandpa loved the Indian Village. We would watch their dances and learn to love their culture, which for those who don't know is a big deal in Western New York.

Eventually, we moved away for a couple years. But we were still close enough to visit and one year, my dad took me and at least one of my brothers and a whole carful of the neighborhood kids to spend the day at the fair. We each had a couple dollars to play games or buy souvenirs. We were there all day and had a blast.

Every year, the fair had new things and I remember one year they introduced some type of ride that flipped you upside down. My grandma and I joked about riding it together, but I'm fairly certain no such event ever occurred!

Finally we moved back home, but not for long. My dad was transferred to a tiny little town in Pennsylvania in the middle of my sophomore year of high school. They had a county fair, but it was nothing like MY Erie County Fair (although that was probably the first place I ever had a blooming onion, so there's that.) Every year, we would come home for the fair. That was when Jim Kelly first started playing for the Bills and we started being really good. The local affiliated radio station gave out all kinds of Bills themed stuff, so I would travel back to Steelers country with Bills stickers, water bottles, and football cards. Thank goodness for the fair!

I was planning on going to college to be a teacher (which I did, although I don't currently teach.) Because of that, I loved the education building. It wasn't terribly popular with the kids though, as the fair pretty much marked the end of summer. So it's no surprise that the education building is no longer a thing at the Erie County Fair! But there are still lots of educational opportunities... they're just cleverly disguised as fun ;)

After finally coming back home one last time, I haven't missed the fair in at least fifteen years. The fair is the first place I ever had sweet potato fries, and for the longest time that was the ONLY place I could find them. These days, I avoid the rides like the plague, but I still enjoy seeing their bright colors spinning through the sky. I enjoy walking several miles a day. I spend an inordinate amount of time in the animal barns, wishing I had a goat. I eat food that's delicious, albeit not exactly healthy.

This year, I went four out of the twelve days. I saw a baby calf be born (finally!). I cried petting a horse. I almost cried when, for the fifth time, my number wasn't called to bottle feed a baby calf. I fed butterflies. I watched cooking demonstrations, I considered dropping six hundred dollars on a blender, I actively avoided talking to people about Direct TV. I spent a good twenty minutes chatting with a volunteer in the Heritage and History Center (which, for someone who doesn't like talking to people is pretty impressive). I saw my former neighbor's award-winning oil painting. I learned that Disney produced a WWII propaganda film to buy War Bonds, staring Donald Duck.

People still pack picnic lunches. They actually set them down on picnic tables and walk away for hours at a time! You can still get a walking sundae AND a walking taco. The Indian village is still there. Last year I bought a dreamcatcher that hangs on a bulletin board near my bed. You can still be "FOUR" Buffalo and get on TV. With the technology that has changed in the forty years (ish) that I've been going, you can now get a text message when a baby calf is about to be born. You can get your ketchup delivered to you by a robot.

The fair is still the same as it's always been, and it's still new every year. And, if you spend enough time in the Creative Arts Building, you'll even get a little bit of Disney!