On Friday, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo reminded New Yorkers that the Great New York State Fair will end its 2014 run on Labor Day, September 1, by offering an unbeatable bargain. Admission to the Fair will be just $1, rides on the all-new Wade Shows Midway will be $1 and selected vendors will offer $1 specials on food or merchandise.

“This deal is yet one more reason why the Great New York State Fair lives up to its name,” Governor Cuomo said. “From expanding ticket sales to online, to securing convenient Amtrak service to the Fairgrounds and expanding our Taste NY selection, this final bargain gives fans and first-timers alike one more great opportunity this year to come and see why this is the best state fair in the nation.”

More than three dozen Fair vendors have agreed so far to sell items for $1. Among the food items are $1 meatball-on-a-roll sandwiches, $1 snow cones, $1 for a small kettle corn and $1 for two pieces of maple sugar. Merchandise values include jewelry, pet products, key chains and more as vendors continue to add to the list daily. Visit the State Fair website for the current list HERE.

Richard A. Ball, Commissioner of Agriculture, said, “We are proud of the work we’ve put in to making the 168th Great New York State Fair truly great and want to give everyone an opportunity to enjoy this showplace of agriculture, music, food and fun.”

Troy Waffner, State Fair Acting Director, said, “If you’ve already been to the Fair this year, ‘Dollar Day’ is a way to come again, inexpensively. If you haven’t been here yet, this is a way to put a day of fun back into your budget. When Wade Shows first mentioned their desire to do a one dollar promotion, we eagerly joined in because we felt this would help us close out the summer with one big party.”

The day includes the Fair’s new “Summer Sendoff” event, featuring a free concert by the Grammy-award winning group The Doobie Brothers at 6:00 p.m. at Chevy Court, and the return of fireworks at dusk sponsored by National Grid after a hiatus of several years.

The “Summer Sendoff” will cap a holiday weekend of excitement at the Fair. Saturday, a sellout crowd of approximately 17,000 will pack the Grandstand to see country superstar Jason Aldean with Florida Georgia Line and Tyler Farr. Last year, 31,000 people jammed into Chevy Court in a downpour to watch Florida Georgia Line for free, and Aldean sold out the Grandstand for his 2012 show. Uncle Kracker plays Chevy Court at 2:00 p.m., followed by Bell Biv Devoe at 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, a monster truck show takes place at the Grandstand. MKTO provides youthful pop at Chevy Court at 2:00 p.m. and a large crowd is expected for Phillip Phillips’ show at 8:00 p.m. The New York State Demolition Derby Championships rounds out the major entertainment on Sunday at the Grandstand.

Competitions reach their finals during the last weekend. The new Miss New York State Fair Pageant takes place on Saturday, emphasizing intelligence and talent and featuring a show by some contestants in the afternoon. The pageantry of the Six Horse Hitch Championships takes place at 1:00 p.m. Saturday in the Toyota Coliseum. There is a special Wine and Cheese Pairing Competition, pitting the winners of the commercial wine and cheese competitions in an event designed to find the best combination of winners. There is also championship boxing, the Taste NY Wine Seminar and more.

Sunday, there’s a contest to see who can turn wool from fleece into a shawl the fastest, an opportunity to find out how to milk a goat, wine seminars featuring the winners of the commercial wine competition and a show featuring several couples from the reality competition shows “Big Brother” and “The Amazing Race.”

Labor Day Monday opens with a special performance on Chevy Court by several area funk and soul bands, the annual Labor Day parade and rally, the championships of the Fair’s Rooster Crowing competition, a wheelchair basketball tournament and free seminars on how to make one’s own home brewed beer.

Every day features free music on the Fair’s seven stages, talented street performers, exhibits with wild wolves and animatronic dinosaurs, one of the best midways in the nation and much more. The Fair’s signature 25 cent cup of perfectly chilled white or chocolate milk and its $1 baked potato with all the toppings will be available right up until the end of the day.

The regional Centro bus service operates buses all day to and from the Fair to Park & Ride lots in Onondaga, Oswego and Cayuga Counties. The buses provide an efficient and safe alternative to driving to and parking at the Fair. A full schedule of locations and times can be found HERE.

Amtrak offers daily train service to a special train station at the Fair for those coming from other parts of the State. Riders can check train schedules HERE.

About the Great New York State Fair

The New York State Fair is operated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and showcases the best of New York agriculture while providing top-quality entertainment. This year’s tagline, “New Attractions, Old Favorites, Timeless Fun," highlights the more than two dozen new events and attractions and the expansion or enhancement of several Fairgoer favorites.​ The home of the Great New York State Fair is a 375-acre exhibit and entertainment complex that operates all year. A year-round schedule of events is available on the Fair’s website. Find The Great New York State Fair on Facebook, follow @NYSFair on Twitter, and enjoy photos from the Fair at Flickr.com/photos/NYSFair. Also, New Yorkers are invited to send their ideas for the Great New York State Fair at StateFairIdeas@agriculture.ny.gov.