Departure of the Fair Train (Strates Shows) from Hamburg, NY, August 20, 2014

The Erie County Fair, held annually near Buffalo at the fairgrounds in Hamburg, NY, is one of the oldest and largest fairs in North America. It celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2014 and generally ranks as one of the top ten to fifteen fairs in the U.S. and Canada (a little smaller than the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, and larger than the New York State Fair in Syracuse). Attendance at the 2014 Erie County Fair was more than 1.2 million. Attractions include agricultural and craft exhibits, entertainment acts (including this year's high-wire act by Nik Wallenda), and a large midway. The rides and amusements have been provided for many years by James E. Strates Shows and have traditionally arrived and departed by train. The 2014 Fair Train was only 39 cars long; it did not include any of the passenger cars/coaches in which Strates formerly brought many of its workers to the fair.