As the state fair enters its final day, some food vendors seem to indicate they might be counting a little less cash. They say the reconfiguration of the Midway, after the removal of the race track and Grandstand, has resulted in a drop in business. Monica Bova runs Alivero’s food stand, which was previously run by her late father for most of the past 18 years. She says Kiddieland used to be nearby, which generated traffic.
“There’s not a lot down here, so you’re not bringing in the kids, there’s not any animals. There’s not a big draw here. Maybe it will change in the future. I hope so. I don’t know what the plan is or what’s going to happen. I miss all that. I still love the fair though; I love this area, I think it’s a great area. I see the horses every night, all walking by going to bed or whatever they’re doing.”
One of the newer food vendors wasn’t sure what to expect. Nick Sanford says his toss-n-fire pizza stand isn’t doing too badly, but it could be better.
“We’re definitely not going to lose money. We’re just not going to make the money that I kind of dreamed of, and thought we were going to do. But overall we’re definitely making money; were definitely meeting a lot of people and overall having a positive experience.”
Sanford says vendors old and new could only guess how business might go in the long stretch on the west side where the old Midway used to be.
“They were unaware of what the traffic was going to be like and I think that’s what a lot of problems the vendors are having, which is completely understandable, especially people who’ve been in the fair for 30 years who had to get moved from one place to another. With the Grandstand being gone, nobody knew what was going to happen.”
But some of the fairgoers we talked to seemed pleased with the selection, and found what they were looking for.
“It’s great. So far we’ve eaten corn and French fries,” says Janet Oxendine. “Chocolate milk and chicken tenders” (all by 2:00 p.m.), added daughter Ciara. “We’re looking for the Pizza Frite, said Oxendine.”
“I think it’s great, though we haven’t looked too far. We were particularly excited to see a Heid’s booth. We figured, they’re local and they have a lot to lose if they don’t serve good food,” added Elsie Massett of Baldwinsville.”
She says she’s pleased with the changes to the fairgrounds. Massett was in for a surprise; she was visiting the fair for the first time since she ran a food stand in 1973.
