Schaghticoke Fair set to return for 199th season
SCHAGHTICOKE, N.Y.» A longtime local tradition, the Schaghticoke Fair returns this week for its 199th season.
Area cows, horses, goats, chickens, pigs and the farmers who care for these creatures have all found their way back to the Schaghticoke Fairgrounds this week, as they’ve been doing for nearly two centuries.
The 199th annual Schaghticoke Fair starts Wednesday and will be open daily through Monday, Labor Day, at its 69 Stillwater Bridge Rd. site in Schaghticoke.
Like in its earliest days, agriculture still plays a major role in the Schaghticoke Fair.
“Really the tradition of the fair is a showcase of agriculture and horticulture in Rensselaer County,” fair manager Carly Reyna said.
The fair still serves that purpose in 2018, but in a different way.
“Obviously most people were much closer to agriculture 199 years ago,” Reyna continued. “Today, it’s more about education about those things.”
Reyna said the Schaghticoke Fair’s clientele is uniquely diverse in that some locals, particularly from the northern part of Rensselaer county, are still deeply connected to agriculture, while others from the southern more urban areas of the county and from throughout the Capital District may have a different perspective on farm life.
“Our job then becomes about maybe being the only interaction they have for the whole year with agriculture,” Reyna said. “It really is about education for folks that maybe the rest of the year don’t have any interaction with the farm.”
One of the new exhibits at the fair this year is a life-size model Holstein, nicknamed Bessie, on which fairgoers can try their hand at milking a cow. Bessie is located in the New York State products building, next to the Dairy Princess booth.
Other new attractions include expanded midway options like the new Super Cyclone large roller coaster, a merchandise booth with Schaghticoke Fair swag, a Pirates of the Colombian Caribbean show and Cirque Ma’Ceo, a highenergy, acrobatic equestrian stunt show set under a 130-foot big top tent that Reyna discovered while at a fair convention in Las Vegas.
Entertainment like shows, carnivals, concerts and grandstand action are all included with admission.
Back again by popular demand is Dollar Day. On Wednesday, the fair’s opening day, admission will be $1 per person. Likewise, there will be specials for $1 rides (when you buy 10 tickets) and select food items on sale for $1 at each vendor.
Last year when Dollar Day made its debut, “The response was overwhelming,” Reyna said, noting that it was five times as busy as the previous year’s opening day.
This year, gates will open at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, two hours earlier than usual on opening day.
The general admission price for Thursday through Monday is $12 each. Children ages 13 and younger are free.
Military Appreciation Day is Wednesday, when veterans and active duty military members will receive free a mission with their Military I.D.
Senior Citizen Day, Thursday, will feature a discounted $5 ticket price for those ages 62 and older.
Schaghticoke Fair season passes are also available for $40 each.
For the first time ever, tickets to the Schaghticoke Fair can be purchased in advance online.
More information about the 2018 Schaghticoke Fair, including a full schedule and ticket purchasing, is available online at schaghticokefair.com.