Sign Up Now for New York State Fair Competitions

From the New York State Fair:

Online registration has begun for the scores of competitions that take place at the Great New York State Fair, Acting Director Troy Waffner said today.  

 

Last year, more than 4,500 exhibitors submitted more than 22,000 entries to one of 49 competition categories. 

 

"There's something for everyone in our competitions," Waffner said. "Some of these are as old as the fair itself and carry forward our state's proud agricultural heritage. Others are more modern. I encourage everyone to check our list of competitions and take part in them."

 

Most fairgoers are familiar with the fair's animal competitions, from the daily horse shows in the Toyota Coliseum to the judging events involving cattle, goats, swine, poultry, rabbits and more. They are also likely to have seen the flower and table setting competitions in the Horticulture Building, or the talent competition on the fair's west end stage.  

 

There are also the professional competitions for wines, dairy products, and Christmas trees.

 

Less well known are the fair's competitions in culinary arts, amateur winemaking and fine arts. The fair also holds some offbeat competitions, such as the daily rooster crowing contest, the Bucket of Junk competition that challenges contestants to turn a collection of parts into something useful, and the poetry competition, which culminates with a public reading of winning poems.

 

To learn more about fair competitions, or to enter, visit http://nysfair.ny.gov/competitions/how-to-enter.

 

This year's New York State Fair, operated by the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, runs from Aug. 25 to Sept. 5, 2016.

State Fair Offers Cookbook Filled with Winning Recipes

The New York State is offering a cookbook filled with recipes from people who have won cooking and baking competitions at the fair.

Open the new "Blue Ribbon Recipes: The Great New York State Fair" book and you'll find recipes judged to be amont the very best in New York state.

The 100-page cookbook filled with grand champion finalist recipes from 2006 to 2014 will be available for $15 at the History of the State Fair exhibit in the Art and Home Center, said State Fair Acting Director Troy Waffner.

Every year at the fair, amateur cooks from across the state submit daily recipes and samples in a wide variety of food categories. Most of the daily winners at the competition go on to compete in the Grand Championship on Labor Day.

"For many years, some of the best food on the fairgrounds has been behind the closed doors of the culinary judging area," Waffner said. 'Blue Ribbon Recipes' throws open and shares these wonderful recipes with everyone. I've already picked a couple that I'd like to try."

This year, 141 New Yorkers submitted 626 creations to the culinary competitions.  Judges sample each offering in the search for the very best.  Winners receive small cash prizes and ribbons that signify their achievement.