| Syracuse,
NY – May 2017 / Newsmaker Alert / The thrills and spectacle
of a large-scale circus will be on display for fairgoers at the 2017
Great New York State Fair, as Circus Hollywood and two of its partner
acts come to the Fair as part of a record investment in entertainment for
fairgoers, Acting Director Troy Waffner has announced.
Circus
Hollywood returns after an absence of several years, bringing with
it all of the trained animal acts, daring aerial performances, and comic
relief of the classic circus experience.
Traveling with Circus Hollywood
are partner acts the Giraffic
Park Menagerie Petting Zoo and the Hollywood
Racing Pigs. The petting zoo features exotic animals such as a giraffe
and kangaroos, while the humorously-named racing pigs provide a burst of
energy and comedy.
“One of our largest priorities
this year was to refresh our entertainment lineup just as the Fairgrounds
itself has been refreshed by all of the changes. We’re very happy to bring
back a big circus, along with the petting zoo and racing pig, and I know
these will give our fairgoers great entertainment and some brand new memories,”
said Waffner.
Another popular animal attraction,
the Birds of Prey exhibit in the State Park at the Fair, will return this
year as well.
They join seven previously
announced grounds entertainment shows:
-
Pirates
of the Colombian Caribbean, a swashbuckling swordfight set on a high
wire above a replica pirate ship
-
Top
Cop Police Academy high dive show, featuring five divers plunging into
a shallow pool from ever-increasing heights
-
iFlip,
an aerial show featuring performers on bungee cords and trampolines, ending
with a dangerous 60 foot fall into a stuntman airbag
-
Hilby
the Skinny German Juggling Boy, the Fair’s most popular grounds show,
which features the German-accented juggler mixing comedy with great skill
-
Bandaloni
the One Man Band, who packs an amazing number of instruments onto his
body and plays them with amazing skill and a touch of humor
-
Team
Sandtastic, the duo that creates the annual Sand Sculpture in the Center
of Progress Building
-
The annual fireworks show that
ends the Fair on Labor Day, from Majestic
Fireworks of Clinton, NY.
Grounds entertainers are individuals
or groups who perform in a wide variety of genres, including juggling,
acrobatics, arts and comedy. They are placed throughout the 375-acre Fairgrounds
in order to provide entertainment wherever one goes on the grounds and
perform several shows per day each. Grounds entertainers stand in contrast
to the Fair’s other main type of entertainment – free concerts on its music
stages, including Chevy Court.
Most acts will perform three
times per day. Schedules will be posted on the Fair’s website when they
are complete. All grounds entertainment performances are free with Fair
admission.
The Fair’s unprecedented
investment in grounds entertainment follows Governor Andrew Cuomo’s $50
million plan to revitalize the 127-year old Fairgrounds. The renovations
carried out in 2016 created acres of new open space for vendors and entertainment
and led to the highest attendance in the Fair’s history.
About the Great New York
State Fair
The New
York State Fair, operated by the New
York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, runs from August
23 to September 4, 2017. The Fair’s mission, reflected in its theme, “Find
Your Great...,” is to showcase the best of New York agriculture while providing
top-quality entertainment.
The 375-acre New York State
Fairgrounds is undergoing the most significant transformation since it
first opened its gates in 1890. The $50 million plan, announced by Governor
Andrew M. Cuomo, revitalizes the grounds in many ways, improving the quality
of the fairgoer’s experience and providing greater economic benefits for
the region. Improvements include the dramatic new Main Gate— the arches
of which recall the carriage gate that greeted fairgoers in 1900, a larger,
15-acre Wade Shows Midway that will hold more rides than ever, and the
brand new 315-site Empire RV Park with underground water, sewer and electrical
service. The plan will better position the New York State Fairgrounds as
a premier year-round, multi-use facility that can attract more events and
visitors from across the nation. Renderings can be viewed
here.
A year-round schedule
of events is available on the Fair’s
website. Find The Great New York State Fair on Facebook,
follow @NYSFair on Twitter, and
enjoy photos from the Fair at Flickr.com/photos/nysfair.
Also, New Yorkers are invited to send their ideas for the Great New York
State Fair at statefairideas@agriculture.ny.gov.
Media Contacts:
Jola
Szubielski
Public Information Officer
NYS Department of Agriculture
& Markets
518-457-0752
Dave
Bullard
Public Relations
New York State Fair
315-487-7711 x 1377 |
