Capital Region county fairs 2016

Summer scene fair by Crystal Capritta

A late-summer scene. / photo: Crystal Capritta

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

The fairs have a long history -- some of them have been going on for 175 years (or more).

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

Commence eating foods on a stick...

Saratoga County Fair
When: July 19-24
Where: Saratoga County Fairgrounds in Ballston Spa.
How much: $12. Season ticket is $40. Shorter than 52 inches is free. Active military free with ID card. Unlimited ride wristband is $20.

This is the 175th 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: July 30-August 6
Where: Cobleskill
How much: $15 for adults, $10 for seniors (age 62 and up), free for children 2 and under. Tickets includes fair admission, grandstand and grounds shows, and unlimited rides from noon to closing. Eight-day passes are $45. (corrected)

This is the 140th Schoharie County Sunshine Fair.

Altamont Fair
When: August 16-21
Where: Altamont Fairgrounds in Altamont
How much: Tuesday and Wednesday - $15. Thursday thru 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 123rd year.

Washington County Fair
When: August 22-28
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 21 at 6 pm, you can get 20 ride tickets for $10. "Each carnival ride takes 2 to 5 tickets - 1 less per ride on Children's Day." Also: On Tuesday and Sunday, you can ride all rides from noon-close for $20.

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

Fonda Fair
When: August 30-September 5
Where: Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Fonda
How much: $10 Adults, seniors (62+) are $5 on Wednesday and Friday, kids 6-11 years old $2, kids under 6 are free. Parking $2.

This is the 175th year for the Fonda Fair -- it's the agricultural fair for Fulton and Montgomery counties.

Columbia County Fair
When: August 31-September 5
Where: The Columbia County Fairgrounds are in Chatham
How much: Adults $10 (Sunday is $15). 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.

This is the 176th Columbia County Fair.

Schaghticoke Fair
When: August 31-September 5
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 Price Chopper August 7 through 30 -- 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 197th 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 23-28
Where: The Dutchess County Fairgrounds are in Rhinebeck (just south of the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge on US 9)
How much: Adults $15 ($10 on Tuesday). Kids under 12 are free. Seniors (65+) and military with ID are $10. Special promotion rates include $7 admission after 5 pm on Tuesday only, $25 wristbands on Wednesday. Ride tickets are 4 for $5 and 22 for $20.

The Dutchess 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.
____

Compiled for 2016 by Aaron Krein.

Comments

Thanks for this. I was literally googling "All Over Albany fair schedule 2016" yesterday thinking I had missed it.

"It's the most wonderful tiiiiime of the yyeeeeaaaarrrrr" :)

County fairs = fried dough, cotton candy, corn dogs on a stick, creaky carnival rides, general gluttony, and exhaustion from walking on your feet all day. Can't wait!!

The Altamont fair has giraffes you can pet and feed!!!

The Dutchess County Fair is definitely worth the drive. I may be a little biased because it's my hometown area, but I have yet to go to another fair that rivals it!

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