With the Great New York State Fair just days away, vendors are preparing for a major change that fair officials say is aimed at improving safety but will also reshape how businesses operate during the 13-day event.
New traffic restrictions will keep all vendor vehicles off the fairgrounds during fair hours. The policy bans vehicle traffic inside the fairgrounds’ perimeter from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., a move designed to keep vehicles and fairgoers separated. For vendors, it means changing how supplies are brought in and out.
Twin Trees, which has been part of the state fair since 1971, is among the vendors adjusting its operations. Owner Dan Ross said the new rules mean planning ahead and building in extra capacity.
“You just kind of got to roll with the punches. There’s been a lot of changes here at the fair in the past 10 years, and this is just another one,” Ross said.
Ross said he has brought in additional equipment and plans to stock up early. “I brought in some extra, you know, freezers and stuff to try to keep my stock up just in case some problems do arise. I’m probably going to keep a lot of extra stuff on stock right at the beginning,” he said.
Fair Director Julie LaFave said officials decided on the change after seeing issues last year that raised concerns about safety.
“We don’t want to get to the point where we see something happen, but we saw things last year that were a lot of vulnerabilities, a lot of things that could have gone wrong very quickly,” LaFave said.
LaFave acknowledged the shift could have ripple effects. “Anytime you make a change, there’s always going to be consequences. They could be good consequences, bad consequences, or unintended consequences,” she said.
Organizers said they consulted with vendors, event industry partners and others before implementing the new restrictions, and said those conversations will continue during and after the fair.
“We are not the type of organization that we make a decision and that is that. We want to hear from our partners and we take all feedback seriously,” LaFave said.
Ross said vendors are doing what they can to be ready if problems arise under the new system. “The fair, obviously, they’re a boss. We’re just the tenants,” he said.
He also described the change as part of a broader pattern of challenges for the food business in recent years. “It’s the nature of the business. It’s the restaurant business. It’s not a lot of fun. It’s a lot of hard work, especially over the past five to 10 years. Since COVID and stuff, it’s even more of a challenge. And I look forward to challenges,” Ross said.
The new policy has already led to two organizations pulling out of this year’s fair: the New York State Barrel Horse Association and the New York State Horse Pullers Association.