New York State launches $2M initiative to promote local and county fairs

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the launch of New York State’s nearly $2 million marketing initiative to promote the more than 50 county and local fairs across the state.

Also taking place on Tuesday, The New York State Department of Agriculture held an event at Saratoga County Fairgrounds to kick off the fair season and talk a bit more about this initiative.

“We have 50 pretty amazing fairs in New York State, all unique and all special in their own way, and that is part of our goal actually, to help recognize those fairs and connect those dots,” State Agriculture Commissioner Richard  Ball said at the event.

“The governor recognized what a gem they (fairs) are, understanding their contributions to the local economies and how they also help educate our communities about agriculture — we call that at the Department connecting the dots. They (fairs) help us connect workers and farms, they help us connect New Yorkers with agriculture and touch that Agricultural community that I think everybody’s been missing.”

A part of this initiative is NYS’s marketing and advertising campaign “Never Far From Fun,” which will include a commercial that will run on broadcast and cable channels along with connected television in every media market across the state. Radio advertisements will also be a part of this campaign to build excitement and anticipation for the upcoming fair season.

Other ads will be run on streaming services, such as Roku, Apple TV, Hulu, Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube TV, Sling TV, Amazon Fire TV, Spotify, Pandora and iHeartRadio, as well as on Billboards around the state in high-traffic areas and on major highways and interstates in places such as Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Binghamton, Utica, Watertown, Albany and along the Metro North to increase exposure.

Social media ads are also being launched, primarily on the new Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube pages and on the new website dedicated to the many fairs throughout the state – Findyourfair.com. The website features a map of locations for all 50 fairs as well as information for exhibitors and a plethora of promotional resources for the fairs.

“They’re rich in agriculture and they produce wonderful education for all those that come and we want more people to come,” New York State Association of Agricultural Affairs President Julia Reynolds said of fairs at Tuesday’s event. “This promotional program will definitely increase attendance and the fairs showcase what they have.

“Every fare is different and every fair has a unique thing. I’m so excited that this promotion is out there and that this is being put together.”

Along with the marketing campaign, the initiative also includes a new NYS Fair’s Passport Program. This program’s goal is to encourage people to visit multiple fairs throughout the season, with fairgoers able to bring their passports to each fair they visit and get a unique stamp in their booklet as well as “Ag Swag,” including lanyards and buttons.

Passports can be picked up at select local county Cornell Cooperative Extension offices, State Welcome Centers and State Parks, with a full list of pick-up locations available on the Department’s County Fairs Promotions webpage.

“We started thinking about how we could encourage people to visit more fairs and get out and about in the summertime and actually connect with agriculture, see some cows, see some rabbits, some horses and connect with some farmers, and how we could connect that in a better way,” Ball shared.

“This is encouraging people to take full advantage of summertime in New York, and take advantage of the opportunities that our fairs give us every day.”

Another portion of Hochul’s initiative comes in the form of a new pilot grant program which will offset the cost of transportation to allow young people who might not be able to otherwise, come out and enjoy a day at the fair. Boonville-Oneida County Fair is the first to participate in the pilot program with their grant helping young people from Utica to access the fair on July 24.

This program will be expanded and applications for the grant program will be open to other fairs this fall.

This initiative aims to help boost attendance at the numerous fairs, educate communities about the ways these fairs support their local economies and showcase New York State agriculture. This initiative is also a part of Hochul’s broader “Get Offline, Get Outside” summer campaign which hopes to promote physical and mental health by encouraging kids and their families to put down their phones and computers and take a break from social media by enjoying recreation and outdoor social gatherings.

“As a former 4-H kid, I know how impactful our county and youth fairs are – creating memories of a lifetime and providing incredible opportunities for fairgoers to learn more about New York agriculture,” Hochul said via a press release. “With the launch of these new initiatives, we are encouraging all New Yorkers to get outside and visit their county fairs, experience incredible agricultural exhibits and enjoy great food and entertainment all summer long.”

Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner (D-Round Lake) was also at Tuesday’s event, touching on how supportive and beneficial this investment was. In her eyes, increasing the number of people attending fairs won’t just boost the agricultural industry but also the local economies of where the fairs are held.

“Agriculture is the backbone of our state’s economy and county fairs play such a critical role in not just inspiring the next generation of agricultural leaders but also serves to connect people to where their food comes from, to make them appreciate just how difficult a challenge it is to do animal agriculture and how engaged our young people are in doing it in a way that cares for the animals and that produces a good product,” Woerner said.

“It’s really valuable for people to not just see it in one place, but to see it in multiple places. It is also an economic engine for our communities, thousands of visitors will come to each of the county fairs this year, and if we can increase that by even another 500, we’ve had a tremendous impact on the local economy.”

Chair of the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors, Phil Barrett of Clifton Park, was also in attendance at the event and touched on how important this investment is. Stating the number one industry in Saratoga County is agriculture, Barrett emphasized that there is a need to “support, protect, preserve and help” the farming and agriculture community as much as possible.

“Farming and agriculture is more relevant today than it’s ever been because it’s a celebration of our culture and a celebration of our communities,” Barrett said. “Fairs are important because it puts that entire industry on a stage, and when that happens thousands of people flock to this fair and we see the best of all of our communities.

“That is what the fair represents.”

The fair season launches Wednesday with the Oswego County Fair with a full list of county fairs available at Findyourfair.com. The Saratoga County Fair will be held at the Saratoga County Fairgrounds in Ballston Spa from July 23 through the 28th.