The town of Syracuse holds the Annual New York State Fair. Open for two weeks, people from all over come and experience the fun of the fair. I was like a kid before Christmas, bouncing with excitement!! The night before the fair we had a lovely dinner in a local pub and some tasty beers in town. We arrived really early to the fair ground and were able to walk around the majority of the outside area before the crowds came. Most things were still closed but we got our bearings and we were able to see how big the place was in order to get round it all in just one day. We saw elephants and tigers in their cages and wandered round the animal pens. Four or five large barns were completely full of farm animals. It was hard to not laugh when we spotted alpacas being shown in a stadium. After walking through the sheep pens and hearing all their bleating we went into the equestrian stadium where some horses and riders were competing. There were also loads of stalls where you could pay to see 'the worlds smallest' horse or pig. Stalls began opening and the national anthem was played on speakers all over the park. Almost everyone froze and placed their hand on their hearts. Back at the main entrance a speakers stand had been set up so we waited around for the Governor of New York to arrive and officially open the fair. There were camera crews in front of us and some very bossy presenters too.The governor made his speech and the national anthem was sang again! This time a guy stood at the side signing the national anthem! It was so funny to watch. The first exhibit we went to was the Native Indian American performance. They did traditional dances in traditional clothing. Around the village that had been set up were stalls selling handicrafts. There was also a Pan-African village set up at the fair. The next show we watched was the Harlem Wizards. They were all huge and very entertaining. They were teaching tricks to kids and shooting a few hoops. For lunch we were recommended by a taxi driver to have a Gionelli Hot dog, so we did. It was very messy but equally yummy! Inside the buildings were various food stalls and other exhibits. Every year the New York State Fair has a butter sculpture. We were expecting many little sculptures so were surprised to see a massive lump of butter molded into a town. Its a bizarre idea that been going on for 42 years! In another building, full of QVC items, there was a giant sand sculpture being built. The theme was The Beatles and the guy was working on his masterpiece for the duration of the fair. Back outside we went to watch the pig races. Over a hundred spectators watched tiny pigs were running round a mini track. There were also duck races at the fair. A more popular attraction was the Seal show where three seals entertained the audience with awesome tricks. We were pleasantly surprised at how cheap everything was. The entrance fee, food and beers were all cheap. Whilst enjoying a cold beer in the shade, a bar lady was interested in our accents and began to talk to us. She was beyond amazed that we were travelling the world and was telling all her customers about us! In the afternoon we watched a parade. It was so random and we weren't entirely sure what to expect. We ended up watching various smalls tractors, old cars, characters and bands pass us by. It was so bad it was funny. The end of the night, after watching a bit of Kool and the Gang, we made our way to the outside of the Aerosmith stage to hear their last songs.