In her second year in the position, NYS Fair director seeks to balance novel and nostalgia
By Stefan Yablonski
Most people don’t think about the New York State Fair until it starts its 13-day run in August. However, Julie LaFave, the fair’s director, works year-round to ensure people have a fun experience at the end-of-summer shindig.
“I was born in Saginaw, Michigan. We moved across the country to live in Alaska, Colorado, Idaho and North Dakota before settling in Central New York,” she said.
She went to Central Michigan University and earned a bachelor’s degree in outdoor recreation and environmental education. And then earned a master’s in recreation administration from Frostburg State University in Maryland.
“I discovered early in my career that I enjoy serving the public and creating moments that are enjoyed by others,” she said.
LaFave was Syracuse Parks and Recreation Commissioner prior to coming to the fair.
“This will be my second fair as director and third with the department. I was operations director in 2023, then interim director. And then was named director last year. When I started, they said you need no less than three fairs before you really get to see it all. I think that is probably true,” she said. “When you think about the fair being 375 acres … that’s a lot to see and do. It’s been a learning process and it has been eye-opening; but I want to get to know every aspect of the fair here.”
At any point in time the fair might have 15 competitions going, several musical acts and everything else that is happening in the buildings, LaFave said.
“There is just so much going on at the same time. Even with 13 days you just can’t see it all,” she added.
She wants to increase the activities, new and exciting initiatives and the welcoming nature of the fair. Making sure the concert lineup has more genres. Making sure that they are bringing more animal competitions.
“We are trying every single year to make it more inclusive and highlight as much as we can about agriculture — and everything that is great about fairs,” she said. “I have two dogs at home — and thousands of animals year-round that come to the fairgrounds to compete; adored by patrons and under our care in our many facilities.”
A balancing act
The New York State Fair started as a five-day agricultural fair, she said, adding, “We try to remember our roots in everything we do. We just want to see growth, but it’s always a balance. We want to honor our past and recognize the nostalgia because a lot of people come to the fair and they say ‘I have been coming for 30 years and I’ve always gone to …’ and they list what they have always gone to. But at the same time we have to keep things fresh.
“Stay fresh and recognizing our history — it’s a delicate balance. We’ll never get rid of the butter sculpture. We’ll never get rid of 25 cent milk, the dollar potato or the sand sculpture. But we are always looking to see what can we do new.
“The challenge is finding that balance. We don’t want to get rid of the tradition, the nostalgia, things people love about the fair. But we want to create something new and unique to get more people excited about coming to the New York State Fair.”
There are areas of the fairgrounds that really haven’t had a lot of foot traffic.
“This year we are activating those trying to come up with new vendors, new food and new activities. We are always trying to add more. This year we have an exhibit dedicated to Big Foot; there are people out there who like to learn about Big Foot. There will be a whole exhibit inside the horticulture building dedicated to that. Right next to the butterflies, something everybody comes to. So it’s mixing the old with the new,” she said.
Hit the ground running
New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball said LaFave “hit the ground running since joining the fair.”
“I don’t think we have a choice,” LaFave said. “We have an employee here who has a lot of famous sayings. He’s been here for 50-plus years. One of his sayings is: ‘the train’s left the station. The fair will be here whether you like it or not. So you’d better be ready’”She laughed. “So we make sure that we are always ready.
“We can’t stop Aug. 20 from coming. That’s the motivator. On our marquee outside right now, every day when we drive into work it tells us how many days away the fair is. That keeps us motivated so when that gets down to one day left — we are ready!”
“People forget that we are more than just a 13-day fair. We definitely are a 13-day fair — but we are also the fairgrounds and we host around 200 events year round,” she continued. “We have a huge staff here and they are working simultaneously planning the fair as well as these other events.
“I have always found a lot of joy in, obviously, the pleasure of getting to create things that other people enjoy. We have a great team here. We work 11 months a year to plan a fair. We put countless hours in and the greatest satisfaction is that we get to see the joy that everybody experiences. We have a lot of experts here which produces new ideas — we take those ideas all together and we build something great.”
So, does she get to enjoy the fair?
“I do. I spend very little time in my office during the fair,” she said. “I put an ‘out-of-office’ message — letting people know that if you want to catch me, you are going to have to catch me out on the fairgrounds.
“There’s no other way we can all manage what’s going on at the fair than being out there and experiencing it, seeing it with our own eyes and talking to the fair goers, hearing what’s great or what needs help,” she explained. “The staff here and I, it might be day eight and we are running on fumes. But when you see the fair goer in front of you and you can see the joy on their face, hear them laughing — it brings our energy back.”
“We have already put in our order,” she added. “There will be no [bad] weather this year, just sunshine and warm temperatures.”
The 2025 fair will be Aug. 20 to Sept. 1.
Lifelines
Name: Julie LaFave
Position: Director of the Great New York State Fair
Residence: Syracuse
Education: Central Michigan University, Bachelors’ in outdoor recreation and environmental Education. Frostburg State University, Master’s in recreation administration
Hobbies: Spending time with family
