Ladies and gentlemen, girls, and boys! The State Fair Meadowlands will make its return engagement to the Giants Stadium Fairgrounds on Route 3 from June 26 through July 13.
Acrobats, shows, tigers, a hypnotist, magic, free entertainment, performers, games, exhibits, shopping, animals, daredevils, bargain ticket nights, more than 150 rides, and a smorgasbord of edibles top the list of attractions at the East Rutherford event.
Michele Tartaglione, director of marketing and advertising for the fair, said the event draws about 400,000 people over 18 days.
“It’s the largest fair in the New York metro area,” she said recently. “It draws people from a 40-mile radius from Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.”
The fairgrounds are just over the Hudson County border in nearby East Rutherford.
Shopping and eating
Those who don’t relish rides and acrobats can head for the shopping zone, which will offer CDs, DVDs, jewelry, clocks, clothing, arts and crafts, candies, and much much more.
To avoid shopping on an empty stomach, more than 75 food vendors will offer cheese steaks, barbecue, pizza, salads, ice cream, funnel cake, and that staple of state fairs, cotton candy, as well as Asian, Greek, and Mexican specialties.
“People don’t realize that the first reason people come to the fair is for the rides – there are tons of kiddie rides and thrill rides – but the second reason is the food,” Tartaglione said. “We have delicious food from all over the country, as well as traditional fair food. People are pleasantly surprised by the variety and quality of food.”
In fact, the fair is boasting that they have “the state’s largest collection of ‘Fair Food’. A spokesman noted, “There will be All-American favorites such as corn dogs, fried Oreos, cotton candy, funnel cake, burgers, and curly fries. Ethnic delights will include empanadas, perogies, gyros, kosher foods, pizza, tacos, and egg rolls, just to name a few.”
New acts debut
“Every year we try to keep the fair fresh and exciting,” Tartaglione said. “This year we’ll offer a number of new attractions:”
Attractions will include:
The Marcan Tiger Show is one of the most eagerly awaited. “The Marcan tigers are beautiful animals,” Tartaglione said. “That will be exciting.” (See sidebar.)
The Bantu Wizard Acrobatic Troupe comes to the Meadowlands from Mombassa. Bridging the gap between athletics and art, the troupe offers fast-paced movement, music, and dance. Acrobatic moves include contortions, tumbling, human pyramids, and chair balancing. On tap will be the Congo snake dance, flaming limbo bar dance, and skip rope footwork acts.
The Nerveless Nocks are a circus family. Their offerings include a hand-over-hand climb up a sky-high sway pole, followed by a headfirst freefall back to the ground; a revolving aerial pendulum on which they perform leaps, somersaults, handstands, and a blindfolded wheel-walk; and motorcycle stunts.
“The aerialists really keep my attention,” Tartaglione said. “I’m afraid of heights, so anyone who gets up on a wire fascinates me, let alone someone doing tricks.”
The Doc Swan Magical Comedy & Variety Show features daring and humorous stunts, including walking barefoot on glass, escaping from a straitjacket, juggling, singing, and old-fashioned circus acts.
Cycling race rolls into town
Also of interest, the North East Regional Championship, in partnership with Premiere Cycling, will take place on June 29.
About 500 riders will include some of the most talented cyclists in the Northeast.
“The pro riders will race from 4-5:30 p.m.,” said Ray Smith, president, Premier Cycling Promotions. “Then there will be races for people 35 and older; a race for intermediates, and a race for brand new riders.”
He said that men and women race together, and anyone interested should visit premierecylcing.net to register.
Old acts return
Seasoned fairgoers can look forward to their favorite attractions, including Rosaire’s Racing Pigs, World of Wonders, Palace of Illusion freak show, the Belmont Festival of Magic, the petting zoo, strolling musicians, costumed characters, and perennial favorite, hypnotist Steve Bayner.
“People come from all over to see the hypnotist,” Targlione said. “He brings people up on stage from the audience and has them doing things they never thought they would do – nothing gross, just funny.”
Tiger, tiger
Presented by the Marcan Tiger Preservationist Group, the Marcan Tiger Show educates the public about the endangered Bengali tiger.
“We’ll have four males and three females,” said tiger handler Andy Spolyar. “The males weigh about 500 pounds and the females, 300 to 400 pounds.”
An estimated 1,500 Bengali tigers are left in the wild and it’s believed that they may be extinct in seven to 10 years.
“Tigers don’t have as much food to hunt as they once did,” said Spolyar. “There’s encroachment on their habitat, and poaching [illegal hunting] is an ugly thing.”
Spolyar emphasized that the show is not your typical circus show. Instead, the focus is on education and information.
“It’s about getting tigers in front of people,” he said, “and watching them interact with us and with each other. It’s about trained behaviors, not about hoops and fires and chairs.”
Spolyar said that the tigers “rough house with each other, wrestle, stand on their hind legs in a boxing position, and show their agility by walking across the arena on their hind legs.”
But is it safe?
He claims that there is minimal danger to the handlers. “We spend our whole lives building a relationship with the animals,” he said. “We’re with them 24/7; we don’t take vacations.”
He added, “We study them and know them and know how to behave with them and treat them. You can’t make pets of tigers. They’re very instinctual. “It would be stupid to walk into the tiger arena with a steak around your neck. And you don’t start playing with a tiger if a policeman on a horse goes by, because the tiger will be stalking that horse.”
Spolyar said he’s been working with tigers for 12 years. “I’ve always been interested in animals,” he said. “I worked with equestrian horses and raised dogs for disabled people.”
“I wanted to be a vet,” he added. “I wanted to get into exotics and be a zoo vet and work with elephants.”
Spolyar said that he was an intern with Marcan, which is in the Florida Panhandle, during his junior year in college and then went back for good when a spot opened up.
He said that people come up to him in tears after the show, saying they were completely unaware of the Bengali tigers’ plight.
“We get countless e-mails,” he said. “They want to make a donation the World Wildlife Federation or the Tiger Project.
“The whole point is to get people involved and thinking about tigers.”
Mark your calendar
From June 26 through July 13, the fair is open each Monday through Thursday, 6 p.m. to midnight; Fridays, 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.; Saturdays, 2 p.m. to 2 a.m.; and Sundays, 2 p.m. to midnight.
Thursday, June 26, is Dollar Night, offering parking, admission, rides, and select food items for a buck each. Monday, June 30, is Carload Night, during which everyone who fits in your car can enter for one price, $69.99, with free parking.
July 3 and 4, the fair will be open from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m., and fireworks displays will be featured.
Advance tickets are on sale now through June 25. Visit njfair.com for tickets and other promotional offers, or call (973) 450-1073.