Entertainment Across Generations At The Empire State Fair DYLAN ROSKOVENSKY

editors@antonmediagroup.com

The smell of popcorn and funnel cake flower this summer as the carnival came to town. Hosted by the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, and presented by Dreamland Entertainment, the 2023 edition of the Empire State Fair included many more interactive attractions, too.

Every day featured a rotation of events for people to enjoy, with an all-day educational petting zoo experience, shows running every hour, and fireworks on select days. The fair also included over 20 rides for people of all ages.

This year’s event was beneficial to the local community, explained David Erickson, one of the fair’s managers, in an interview with Anton Media Group. “At this site there’s probably 100 people working for us. Plus the vendors, plus the food, plus the games. So, economically it’s a big impact.”

Local businesses have also received a boost from the fair being in town, Erickson said. “The expenses for running a show like this is high. Everybody [involved] is spending money in the community. Every supplier has to buy their supplies, and that’s all done locally.”

While much of the fair is found locally, you can also see something unfamiliar. Through Eudora Wildlife Safari Park, the fair hosted a petting zoo of exotic animals. Gregory Steadman, manager for Eudora Farms, talked about the petting zoo experience that Eudora Farms provides. “These guys here are not carnival animals. We start them off when they are young, we train them and get them to be very sweet, gentle and social. We want to offer a fun family activity where they can learn about animals. Oftentimes people are a little nervous with animals. This is a good approach for you to get comfortable