Capital Region county fairs 2015
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
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
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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?
... said SuburbanSlumming on Jul 22, 2015 at 3:13 PM | link
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.
... said -B on Jul 22, 2015 at 4:46 PM | link
I'm disappointed to see that Altamont did away with the fireworks...guess I'm not going this year.
... said Katie on Aug 1, 2015 at 4:45 PM | link