Morrisville State College at the New York State Fair

Morrisville State College will have a strong presence again this year at the Great New York State Fair, featuring a handcrafted scale-model canoe, a student-built hot rod, horses and renewable energy and hemp displays.

The fair runs Aug. 23-Sept. 4.

Fairgoers can learn about renewable energy, horses and horsepower inside the Morrisville State College Bartlett Barn near Gate 4 by the Coliseum. Horses from various equine programs will be housed in the building throughout the fair.

The college also will showcase its Mustang car. Students in the college's automotive programs transformed the 1988 Mustang into a 550 horsepower dragster that accelerates to 130 mph in 10 seconds.

New this year in the Morrisville State College building is a handcrafted canoe, a scale model of those being constructed in a new Introduction to Boat Building course at the college.

Visitors to the building also can obtain an array of information about the college and can speak to faculty and staff about the college's program offerings. Morrisville State alumni are encouraged to stop by and access materials to find fellow classmates, enjoy history about the college and catch up on the college's growth and progress.

Morrisville State College Alumni Day at the fair is Aug. 30.

Visitors also can learn more about the hemp industry at the college's display in the SUNY section of the Horticulture Building. Morrisville is leading research in the experimentation of growing hemp as a commercial crop.

The college also will have informational materials in the World of Horses tent, which features a center ring where fairgoers can see horses up close and talk with their owners and handlers.

Nelson Farms, run by the auxiliary corporation of the college, will once again head the Taste NY Marketplace, a retail store offering food products grown and produced in New York state. The marketplace's new location is in the Horticulture Building.

The college's School of Agriculture and Natural Resources will have an exhibit in the FFA Building.

Morrisville State students also will be competing throughout the fair. They will participate in Forestry Day competitions Sept. 2 in the New York Experience Area. They also will show lambs in the beef Cattle Barn on Sept. 2 and will compete in various equine competitions.

Morrisville State College is the only college in North America to compete with a six-horse hitch, which will also be part of the fair parade on opening day, Aug. 23.