The Ulster County Fair rolled into town Tuesday, kicking off as usual with “carload night,” where $50 buys access to unlimited rides for up to 8 people. The lines were long and the air was charged with youthful, mid-summer exuberance. At most local events, other demographics hold sway: baby boomers for anything high culture with admission of more than $15, hipsters at anything involving good beer and live music, young families on weekend mornings. But on the fair’s midway, the teens and tweens, for whom summer was made, reign supreme.
Wednesday, with its regular admission price and chances of thunderstorms, was more subdued. There’s more rain possible in the forecast for much of the rest of the week, but if it seems to be the type of quick shower that comes and goes. Just like summer.
The fair runs through Sunday, Aug. 5. Read our article for more on this year’s daily and ongoing entertainment.
Photos by Will Dendis except where noted.
Mingling on the midway (Lucia O’Corozine)
This most photogenic of amusement park contraptions is apparently called a “swing ride.” Descriptive, but somehow not as imaginative as one might expect.
(Photo by Lucia O’Corozine)
(Lucia O’Corozine)
The joust
A sign in one booth read “Help Wanted – Must be 18 – Must be willing to travel.” Working on a carnival must be an interesting way to spend a summer.
Inside the butterfly tent
Bingo
Billy Bob Thornton and the Boxmasters
A girl catches some air on a jumping harness, with Skytop Tower in the distance
Meanwhile, on the farm…
Meghan Tobias with Cha Cha, a Jersey cow from Briar Creek Farm in New Paltz
Farm kids still spend the day with their animals, though they have some some modern distractions to ward off boredom (photo by Lucia O’Corozine)
A baby goat at the Two by Two Petting Zoo
Robinson’s Racing Pigs: Adorable little porkers who run and swim around a short track, vying to be the first to reach an Oreo cookie.
