Every year, each county in New York has its own fair, and the culmination of all these little fairs is the New York State Fair in Syracuse. This year, the fair was held from Aug. 26 through Sept. 7.

The New York State Fair has been around for 184 years, meaning in 16 more the state fair will have its 200th anniversary. The fair was founded by agriculture groups, and toward the back of the fairgrounds you will find over 50 different food vendors representing those producers.

The largest exhibitor of the fair is the dairy industry. When you first enter the industry’s exhibit building, you are given a free cup of white or chocolate milk. There are also many pastry makers in the building, and the highlight is always the butter sculpture which often includes one or more dairy cows. Speaking of cows, the fair is where the award winning bovines from each county fair compete for prizes at the state level.

Manor Ink visited the fair this year and learned about other state industries like maple syrup and wine. There were many opportunities to purchase products from these various vendors, age-permitting.

There also were all the typical fair rides and foods. Everything from corndogs and popcorn to lobster rolls and fried tacos was available, as were several different international foods.

One of the most interesting exhibits was the butterfly house. Visitors can go into a little tent filled with at least 20 different species of butterflies. They’re given a cotton swab with sugar water on it, and the butterflies land on the cotton swab or on the visitor.

With so much to do and see at the New York State Fair, it is a great idea to go if you never have. It’s highly recommended for your bucket list.