Daily at the Fair (Beginning Saturday): Balloon Display and Demonstrations, Pig Racing, Niagara Down Under, Pony Rides, Chain Saw Carver.
Events & times subject to change.
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Friday, July 23rd -- North American Six-Horse Hitch Classic Series -- 5:30 p.m.
One hundred and eighty one years ago, the local farmers invited the Genesee County community to a fair and the Ag Society has been hosting a fair every year since -- well, except last year when a pandemic forced the fair's concellation in history.
In 2021, the Genesee County Fair is back and fair managers are promising a good time.
"We have a midway Tuesday through Saturday," said Rose Topolski, one of the fair managers. "We have a demolition derby Friday night at seven o'clock. We have a big draft horse show tomorrow at 5:30 (p.m.), and that continues Saturday at noon. We also have stock car racing, both Saturdays of the fair.
"We're expecting between a thousand and twelve hundred animals to be on the property during the entire week. We have tons of fair food. All the fair favorites. Pretty much every aspect of the fair will be here again this year."
To celebrate, the Chamber of Commerce organized a ribbon cutting at the fairgrounds this afternoon.
The fair has been quite popular the past few years and comanager Nick O'Geen thinks after a year of COVID-19 restrictions, the fair offers area residents a way to get out and rub elbows with their friends and neighbors again.
"You've been cooped up long enough," O'Geen said. "It's time to come out and have some fair fun."
For the complete 2021 schedule, click here.
On Thursday, Batavia Downs hosted the Genesee County Fair harness races.
Every year, the state gives money to the counties with harness racing to host a purse-only (no wagering) card of races. Since the fairgrounds are not suitable for harness racing, Batavia Downs hosts the races.
"It’s a good opportunity for our local horsemen and people from outside this area to come here, make some money," said General Manager of Live Racing Todd Haight. "They’re all New York-bred horses so it’s good for the New York-bred program, it’s good for or local horsemen. It’s good for everybody."
The 2021 racing season starts this coming Wednesday. The first post time is 6 p.m.
Video: For one race, I was able to ride in the cab of the starter truck. The horses in the race were 2-year-old colts so you'll see some of them hang back from the starter's gate, unlike a race with more experienced horses.
Starter Terry Mays, who was kind enough to let me share the very cramped space of the gate truck.
Press release:
The 51st Annual Genesee County 4-H Market Animal Auction will be held Thursday, July 29, at the Genesee County Fair. The auction will feature chickens, goats, lambs, beef steers, dairy steers and hogs raised by local 4-H members. Animals will be auctioned by William Kent Inc. of Stafford.
New this year, the 4-H Market Animal Auction will offer online and in-person bidding. Online pre-bidding will be available on www.williamkentinc.com starting Tuesday, July 27th. The live auction will be held at 7 p.m. in the Main Show Ring at the Genesee County Fair.
Registration for bidders attending the live auction will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the 4-H Kennedy Building.
The fairgrounds are located at 5056 E. Main Street Road, Batavia.
For more information, please contact the Genesee County 4-H Office at (585) 343-3040, ext. 101, or visit www.williamkentinc.com and look for the Genesee County 4-H Market Animal Auction.
Press release:
With everything that has been canceled in the past year and a half, one thing that is remaining the same is the Genesee County Fair Talent Show!
All are welcome to show off their talents, whether it is music, dance, comedy or more.
The fair is set for July 24-31.
Participants will receive a goody bag and first, second, and third prizes will be awarded.
Participants will be divided into age groups: tiny tots (ages 5 and under); mini (ages 6-12); and maxi (ages 13 and up).
The president of the Genesee County Agricultural Society said she is cautiously optimistic following today’s announcement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo that county fairs across New York State will be able to take place under six-foot social distancing guidelines.
“We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves as we continue to consult with County Manager Matt Landers and the health department” regarding what will be necessary for area residents to enjoy the Genesee County Fair this summer, Amanda Gallo said.
The fair is scheduled for July 24-31 at the county fairgrounds on East Main Street Road. It was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gallo said tentative plans call for the organization to host the North American Classic Six-Horse Hitch Series on July 23-24 and the Empire Classic Youth Sheep Show on July 24.
The draft horse show is the biggest in the state (except for the New York State Fair) and the sheep show draws participants from throughout Western New York. The open beef and open swine shows are set for July 25, with Genesee County 4-H-only shows scheduled throughout the week.
Earlier this month, the Genesee County Legislature allocated $11,000 for 4-H judging expenses and 4-H premiums associated with the fair.
“We’re hoping to have all of our attractions and livestock shows this year,” Gallo said. “We will release more details as we get further guidance.”
Landers said he is “very happy” to know the fair will be held this year.
“I have enjoyed going to the fair many times and hope to take my kids to the demolition derby this year,” he said.
Gallo said the demolition derby is the feature event on July 30.
Fully Vaccinated Equals No Mask
In another development, Cuomo announced that New York will adopt the Center for Disease Control’s new indoor mask and social distancing guidelines effective this Wednesday.
The governor's statement came four days after the CDC ruled that fully vaccinated people could get rid of their masks indoors in most instances.
Masks reportedly continue to be necessary on public transit, in nursing homes, in homeless shelters, correctional facilities, schools and healthcare facilities across the state in accordance with the new federal guidelines, Cuomo said.
He added that those who have compromised immune systems or have yet to be vaccinated are required to wear masks and to socially distance.
The show must go on.
At least, that’s what officials of the Genesee County Agricultural Society are hoping as they make plans to hold the Genesee County Fair this summer.
Agricultural Society Treasurer Norm Pimm this afternoon expressed optimism as he reported to the Genesee County Legislature’s Human Services Committee, which moments before voted in favor of allocating $11,000 in funding for 4-H judging expenses and 4-H premiums associated with the fair.
The 2021 fair is scheduled for July 24-31. Last year’s event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“This year, we’re starting to see (that we’re) still creating a lot of excitement with the youth,” Pimm said. “There are 238 youth members in 4-H in Genesee County, across 23 clubs, and there are another 68 adult volunteers who help out with running those clubs.”
Pimm said fair organizers are awaiting guidance from the state as far as what can be done, including the setup of the midway.
“We’re going to try our best to move forward with the full fair. If not, we plan on definitely doing what we need last year – a scaled-back version with some of the youth shows,” he said.
Pimm said Genesee County will host the largest draft horse show in the state (outside of the NYS Fair in Syracuse) on July 23, the Friday before the official opening of the fair.
The next day will feature the Empire Classic Youth Sheep Show, which attracts participants from surrounding counties as well. Pimm said more than 70 took part in the show in 2020.
Other shows, including open beef and open swine, are set for July 25, with Genesee County 4-H-only shows scheduled throughout the week.
“Obviously, last year was not what we wanted as we had to cancel the fair. As far as we know we had the longest running fair – consecutive fair in New York, 181 years I believe,” Pimm advised. “But we were able to still have some youth shows. We thought it was important because some of the youth start their projects in November, so obviously, the November before last nobody knew what was going to happen.”
Pimm mentioned that the Agricultural Society did not accept county or state money last year due to the cancellation, but is appreciative of this year’s sponsorship.
“We didn’t take county funding last year,” he said. “We thought we would try to help the county out, but we can definitely use it this year and it will be put to really good use.”
Press release:
In light of the Governor’s press conference today, the Genesee County Ag Society and its volunteers that make the Genesee County Fair possible, have been receiving an abundance of emails and phone calls questioning whether we will be able to hold the Genesee County Fair for 2021.
At this time, while it is promising that the State Fair will go ahead with planning for the 2021 season, we, the county fairs, have not been given any guidance as to what or how we should be planning for Fair Season.
The Genesee County Ag Society volunteers have been moving ahead with plans for the Genesee County Fair, to be held July 24-31.
In 2020, we were able to hold the Livestock shows for our youth and did so successfully. We are hoping to continue with that in 2021. We are looking to expand upon what we were able to do in 2020, but please know that we are working closely with Genesee County officials and our Genesee County Health Department so that we can keep our attendees safe while adhering to New York State Guidelines.
We are hoping that, in the near future, the Governor and his office will be addressing how the county fairs should proceed so that we can move forward with some great entertainment and Livestock shows for our community.
Stay tuned, as we wish to keep the community and our supporters updated on how we are able to proceed with our Genesee County Fair July 24-31.
Press release:
The Genesee County Agricultural Society Inc. announced today that the Genesee County Fair, which was scheduled for July 25 through Aug. 1, will now be postponed until July 24-31, 2021.
It is with heavy hearts that the Ag Society Board of Directors had to make this call. The Board volunteers have been moving forward with plans to hold the fair in 2020, but with announcements by the New York Governor this month, it seems that the Fair would not be able to operate until the last phase of the New York State reopening.
Many factors were taken into consideration when making this decision, as it was not entered into lightly. Additional safety requirements, as we are seeing now in Phase One, would mean the preparation of buildings to safely move people in and out, as well as limiting the number of people on the grounds, all while trying to maintain the current six-foot social distancing rules.
"Our board is discussing the possibilities of having smaller events throughout the summer to try and support our Youth and agricultural community,” said Amanda Gallo, president of the Genesee County Ag Society.
“We are looking to New York State for guidance on Phase Four reopenings and once we have those guidelines, we can better prepare for our grounds to reopen for these events. But, in the meantime, our volunteers are working hard to put together a great Fair for July 24-31, 2021!"
Keep up to date with Fairgounds events by following the Fair here.
The Genesee County Agricultural Society Inc. is made up of volunteers who reside in Genesee County and are the organizers of the Genesee County Fair. They are the owners and operators of the Genesee County Fairgrounds on Route 5 in Batavia.
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Earlier today, The Batavian was first to report the cancellation of the Wyoming County Fair in Pike and that a decision was about to be made regarding the Genesee County Fair. Click here to read that report.
The Wyoming County Fair in Pike and several other fairs in neighboring counties have been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic while the status of the Genesee County Fair in Batavia could be determined in the next day or so.
Currently, the Genesee County Fair, scheduled for July 25 through Aug. 1, is still on, according to Agricultural Society President Amanda Gallo.
“No decision has been made at this time, but there is a District 8 (Zoom) meeting this evening that I will be taking part in,” Gallo said.
The meeting will include representatives of the seven-county District 8 of the New York State Association of Agricultural Fairs.
Per the Genesee County Fair website, fair personnel have been monitoring the COVID-19 situation very closely and working with health and state officials concerning the status of the fair.
Jerry Davis, chair of the Wyoming County Board of Supervisors, confirmed that the Pike Fair that was slated for Aug. 15-22 has been cancelled for this year.
Echoing feelings of Genesee County government officials, Davis said he is “holding out hope that we’ll be able to move into Phase Two” of the state’s reopening plan on Friday.
Press release:
The Genesee County 4-H Market Animal Auction Program is celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer! In recognition of this milestone, the 4-H Program is seeking photos, news articles and memorabilia from throughout its 50 years to be used in a display at the Genesee County Fair.
If you have photos or items to share, please drop them off or mail to: CCE Genesee, 420 E. Main St., Batavia, NY 14020; or email to genesee4h@cornell.edu.
Please mark your calendars for the 50th Annual Genesee County 4-H Market Animal Auction on Thursday, July 30th, at the Genesee County Fair in Batavia.
Press release:
The Genesee County Fair amounces today that up to 10 scholarships for $1,000 each will be awarded across New York State to current New York State high schooI seniors and also students eurolled in college.
The New York State Association of Agricultural Fairs and the New York State Showpeople’s Association sponsor the scholarships.
The qualifying students must be active at the Genesee County Fair, or with the New York State Showpeople’s Association (NYSSA).
All applicants from Genesee County must submit their applications through the Genesee County Fair, or the NYSSA, no later than Friday, Apri1 3.
Information is available at:
Applications must be completed and printed from the web at: www.nyfairs.org
For more information, contact Alton MacDuffie at the Genesee County Fair at (585) 752-3600.
Today is the final day of the 180th Genesee County Fair so it's also your last day to have fun on the Midway. The midway opens at noon.
Saturday, July 20 – Family Day/ Drive Your Tractor to the Fair Day
Events & times subject to change. Follow us on Facebook to keep up-to-date with changes.
Friday, July 19th – CELEBRATE 4H DAY
Events & times subject to change. Follow us on Facebook to keep up-to-date with changes.
Subscribe to The Batavian's YouTube channel. Click here.
Thursday, July 18th – KId's Day / HP HOOD DAY
Events & times subject to change. Follow us on Facebook to keep up-to-date with changes.
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