Friends In Low Places

It has officially reached that bittersweet time of year once again, the end of summer...

If you've lived in Syracuse for any amount of time you know that it once the Fair starts the days of summer are numbered. 

The "Great" New York State Fair is something that needs to be experienced first hand to be fully understood. Throughout the course my life, I have maintained a very tenuous relationship with the Fair; I've had a few pretty terrible experiences but have started to enjoy it. The sights, sounds and the smells of this redneck Disneyland can be overwhelming to the uninitiated: One can see the barely held together rides, the butter and sand based sculptures, the legions of farm animals; the smells of fried food, smoked sausage, cigarettes and of those aforementioned legions, bombard the nose; and everywhere cliché carnival sounds echo. By far, its most unique feature is the people who are in attendance. A common theme of this blog has been people and their influence, the Fair is a prime place to observe the stranger side of the human race. This overtly filthy, slightly frightening and vaguely endearing event attracts individuals from every far away corner of New York State in a veritable people-watching safari. Every shape, size, age and level of clothing Is represented. I would most likely disagree with the political views and frankly, hygiene habits of the hardcore Fairgoers, but this place requires certain amount of suspended judgment to have the best time. The addition of the alcohol exponentially multiplies the bizarreness of this occasion; Cheap PBR and Wine-slushies bring out the best and certainly, the worst in this eclectic crowd. There is no purer form of cheap entertainment than that of watching these drunken masses enjoy themselves. Another form of low cost fun are the many concerts that take place each year, in which many of the free acts are better than paid. This year we decided to see Grace Potter And The Nocturnals. The band delivered an energetic and engaging show, they seem to enjoy preforming just much as the audience did watching. The group's lead singer, Grace Potter conveyed a bad-ass yet seductive classic rockstar mentality. They played some of their best songs and some great covers, combing blues, country and rock for unique and entertaining sound. Despite our position being pretty far from the stage(for 6$ I'm not complaining) the concert had a great energy. This was a very fun night of great friends and great music!

The State Fair is a eccentric Syracuse staple that everyone is drawn to like some peculiar ritual; each person that goes has their must-sees, must-eats and must-drinks. Whether you love or hate the Fair, it brings our community together and I believe there is a lot of merit in that.

P.S. Grace Potter