Hamburg, N.Y. (WBEN) - From Orlando to Western New York, the Strates Shows' carnival midway will be pulling their show by train once again to Hamburg's Historic Erie Depot for a special return of an Erie County Fair precursor.
Fair fans and train enthusiasts are encouraged to come early to 4 Scott Street in the Village of Hamburg for the return of Train Day, with festivities starting as early as 9 a.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 1. The train, itself, is scheduled to arrive between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. ET.
"It's historic because that's how Strate Shows travelled until 2019. That was the last time that we had a train day and the last time that they brought the train out," said Erie County Fair CEO Jessica Underberg with WBEN.
"At the depot, there will be food vendors, Retro Buffalo will be making commemorative t-shirts, the Postal Service will be on site with a cancellation mark, Clyde's feeds will have some special guests from a local animal rescue, Artcraft Trains will be opening taking pre-orders for the first O-Scale, Strates Show carnival train, it'll be a lot of fun."
In addition, eventgoers can visit the Erie County Fair’s 1949 Fair Mobile and high-five Fair Bear, who will be handing out wooden nickels (good for one free carousel ride at the 2024 Fair) and 2024 Train Day buttons. Plus, the first 100 guests will receive a bag of classic kettle corn from Fair favorite: Pat’s Kettle Corn.
Strates Shows representative Marty Biniasz says there is a great level of excitement around bringing back the train cars to mark the 100-year relationship between the Erie County Fair and the midway.
"We're going to have our flat cars filled with our rides and wagons and other types of equipment, like we have for almost 100 years, it's a big celebration," said Biniasz in an interview with WBEN.
In addition, Strates Shows rail cars have been mechanically overhauled and cosmetically restored for their return, including the application of retro-inspired color scheme and lettering.
Biniasz notes that Strates is the last remaining travelling carnival that still carries there equipment by train, with the exception of the last several years when they brought their equipment by truck during the pandemic times.
This exclusive relationship between the fair and travelling show is said to be a historic milestone in the modern amusement industry and is considered the longest continuous run of any one carnival midway and any one fair in the United States.
Underberg notes this isn't the only way the fair is celebrating the milestone, they will be holding a special ribbon cutting and a pyrotechnic display at the top of the midway on Aug. 7 at 12 p.m. ET, and there will also be a working mini-display of the Strates midway at the Heritage and History Center located inside the Hamburg Fairgrounds.
Train Day guests are encouraged to plan ahead to avoid traffic delays. Scott Street will be closed beginning at Pleasant Avenue and continuing onto Union Street up to West Avenue beginning at 8 a.m. ET. Lots at Clydes Feeds and the Staub Plaza will be open to eventgoers. Guests are encouraged to carpool, rideshare or walk to the train depot if able as parking is extremely limited.
"It's a big deal to Western New York, but especially to Hamburg. I've ridden the train a couple of times, and it it's always amazing to me to see the people coming out in their backyard or parking at the cross intersections to watch the train come through," Underberg added.
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