Wednesday marked what was the first day of the New York State Fair in 2019, and the number of people attending show a drastic difference.
On Aug. 25, 2019 there were 74,057 people in attendance. For Aug. 25, 2021, there were 37,591 people in attendance.
One woman, Reine Fitzgerald, said going to the fair with family was a tradition and they went four or five times every year, but this year they aren’t going at all.
She wants to avoid the impacts the virus had on everyone last year after staying home with her child for remote learning.
Another woman, Velora Cartwright, is attending the fair for the first time this year while Fitzgerald misses it for the first time.
Cartwright’s husband is a Syracuse native, and she is from Long Island. For thirty years he’s been trying to bring her to the fair for the experience.
Those in attendance are actually enjoying the fact that it isn’t crowded and that they have more room to walk around.
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