Capital Region county fairs 2015

altamont_fair__4-H_cows_kids_in_ring

County fair season in the Capital Region started this week with the Saratoga County Fair in Ballston Spa. And there will be a county fair somewhere around the region pretty much each week through Labor Day.

Here's a rundown of county fairs around the region, with dates, admission info, and whatnot.

Now go eat some foods on a stick...

Saratoga County Fair
When: July 21-26
Where: Saratoga County Fairgrounds in Ballston Spa.
How much: $10. Season ticket is $40. Shorter than 52 inches is free. Active military free with ID card. Unlimited ride wristband is $20.

This is the 174th year for the Saratoga County Fair. (Though there was an earlier version -- "basically a one day cattle show" -- that ran from 1819-1824.)

Schoharie County Sunshine Fair
When: August 1-8
Where: Cobleskill
How much: $12 for adults, free for children under 12 and under. Eight-day passes are $45. Midway tickets are 12 for $10.

This is the 139th Schoharie County Sunshine Fair.

Altamont Fair
When: August 11-16
Where: Altamont Fairgrounds in Altamont
How much: Tuesday and Wednesday - $15. Friday, Saturday, Sunday - $17. The one-price admission includes "admission, parking, music, circus and unlimited rides shows." Kids under 36-inches tall are free -- but they're not allowed to ride the Midway rides. If you buy tickets ahead of time online for $15 each, they're good for any of the fair days (which could save you $2 Thursday-Sunday).

The Altamont Fair is the county fair for Albany, Schenectady, and Greene counties. This will be its 122nd year.

Washington County Fair
When: August 24-30
Where: Washington County Fairgrounds in Greenwich
How much: Adults $10 ($9 before August 1). Children 13 and under are free. All-week pass is $30 ($27 before August 1). Free admission for all active military service members with military ID.

Admission does not include carnival rides. During the fair, ride tickets are $1.25 each. But if you buy before August 23 at 6 pm, you can get 20 ride tickets for $8. "Each carnival ride takes 2 to 5 tickets - 1 less per ride on Children's Day." Also: On Tuesday and Sunday are you can ride all rides from noon-close for $20.

"New York's #1 Agricultural County Fair."

Fonda Fair
When: September 1-7
Where: Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Fonda
How much: $10 Adults, kids 6-11 years old $2 (under 14 free on Wednesday and Friday), kids under 6 are free. Parking $2. (There's also $10 per carload admission on Thursday.) Unlimited ride wristbands are $10-$25 depending on day.

This is the 174th year for the Fonda Fair -- it's the agricultural fair for Fulton and Montgomery counties.

Columbia County Fair
When: September 2-7
Where: The Columbia County Fairgrounds are in Chatham
How much: Adults $10 (Sunday is $12). It's $8 every day if purchased by August 20 via mail, or at advance ticket outlets (including Price Chopper and Hannaford) between August 1 and September 1. Kids 12 and under free. Free admission for active military members with military ID or uniform. Daily ride passes are $15 on Wednesday and Monday, $20 the other days.

This is the 175th Columbia County Fair.

Schaghticoke Fair
When: September 2-7
Where: Schaghticoke Fairgrounds in Schaghticoke
How much: Adults $11 (opening day is $5). Season pass is $40. Children 13 and under are free. Unlimited rides pass is $21 Wednesday-Friday, $22 Saturday-Monday. Advance admission tickets are available at at Price Chopper August 2 through September 1 -- they're $9 (Thursday-Monday) and unlimited rides tickets are $18 (good for any one day, does not include admission).

The Schaghticoke Fair is the county fair for Rensselaer County. This is the 196th year for Schaghticoke Fair -- it's said to be the 3rd oldest fair of its type in New York State.

(Bonus bit: The Jefferson County Fair (Watertown), first organized in 1817, is said to be the oldest county fair in the state.)

A bit farther afield... Dutchess County Fair
When: August 25-30
Where: The Dutchess County Fairgrounds are in Rhinebeck (just south of the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge on US 9)
How much: Adults $15 ($12 ahead). Kids under 12 are free. Seniors and military with ID are $10. Ride tickets are 1 for $1.25 and 22 for $20.

The Dutches County Fair is a bit outside the Capital Region -- it's a little more than a hour's drive south. But we hear it's quite the county fair, and worth the trip if you're a county fair aficionado.
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Earlier on AOA: At the fair, competing for a ribbon

Comments

Why is the Altamont Fair so expensive??? It's way smaller than the other ones in the area so what are you paying for?

The one-price admission includes "admission, parking, music, circus and unlimited rides

I would guess that last part makes up the difference when other fairs are $10-25 for unlimited ride passes.

And while it might be smaller (by what metric? I'm honestly curious) it and Schaghticoke were always my favorites, personally. I know that's a subjective thing, if you just don't like the Altamont Fair, that's fine too.

I'm disappointed to see that Altamont did away with the fireworks...guess I'm not going this year.

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