Hamburg, N.Y. (WBEN) - There has been quite a rich history of happenings over the 182 years of the Erie County Fair.
From stories of the fair to different events and other occasions at the Hamburg Fairgrounds, a good chunk of that history has been documented and brought to life thanks to the work of the folks of the Erie County Fair Heritage and History Center.
"We have several permanent exhibits here every year, but we always change annually, especially with anniversaries," said Director of the Heritage and History Center, Jason Steinagle.
The Heritage and History Center is actually the oldest building at the Hamburg Fairgrounds, starting out as a women's facility in 1885. The building has also served as the Health and Science Building, and recently was the Antiques Mall before becoming what it is today.
"[Former Special Projects Marketing Manager] Marty Biniasz and Dee Ziegel made it an endeavor to make this a Heritage and History Center to preserve our stories and our future for generations," Steinagle explained.
When you enter the Heritage and History Center at the fair, you will find a number of different exhibits and infographics displaying different tidbits or historical facts and artifacts through the fair's history.
Hamburg, N.Y. - Inside the Heritage and History Center at the Erie County Fair.Brayton J. Wilson - WBEN
This year, the center is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Environment and Sportsman Building with a child's fishpond with fun facts for kids of all ages. The Heritage and History Center also has a kiddie stand that depicts when the fair sold its first hamburgers back in 1885.
Both exhibits are in an effort to make the center a friendly and welcoming environment for kids to learn a thing or two about the history of the Erie County Fair.
"We're trying to inspire the next generation to love history, and to preserve our stories. We'd like to do that through engaging activities, and just people talking and sharing their stories with us," Steinagle said.
Also new to the Heritage and History Center this year includes an exhibit featuring some artifacts and information about the Fairgrounds Tornado, aka "Fairnado" that rolled through Hamburg back on July 20, 2017.
"We have some artifacts from Gate 1 that was destroyed five years ago due to the tornado. We also have a restored lantern, and the size is just amazing. You don't see it from McKinley [Parkway], how big those really are," Steinagle said. "It's great being up close and seeing the power of nature and preserving our story through the exhibit. We also celebrate the entertainers that are here, the Firemen's and Veterans Administration, Strates Shows, we have artifacts from the Herschel Carousel Factory."
Brayton J. Wilson - WBEN
In addition, with the 80th anniversary of the Buffalo Raceway, they have a display with an antique sulky and several other artifacts.
While the Heritage and History Center has already logged a great deal of history at the Erie County Fair and the fairgrounds overall, they are not stopping at gathering more information. Especially with the growing influence of the Internet and social media, the center is encouraging people to document their own recollections of the fair.
"Throughout the years, many people have come in and actually shared their fair stories with us without making it more formal," Steinagle said. "If you'd like to share stories with us, please write them down. We'd like to collect them and preserve them, and share them on the Internet, and hopefully spark other memories and inspire those to actually preserve our history and our culture.
"They see the pictures and they read the captions, and they have memories of themselves, either as children or even as grandparents, coming in with their little ones. We just want to make sure that everyone has a chance to offer their stories, as well."
Steinagle admits that the idea of logging stories from the public and making them available online came from his wife. He's not only hoping that the people's stories will be viewed and shared on the Internet, but then shared to others around the world.
"Not just during the fair days, they can actually come in and actually on the Internet share their stories too," Steinagle said. "These stories preserve who we are, our identity and our culture of Western New York, and our heritage at the Erie County Fair."
In addition, the Heritage and History Center has introduced a new series for fairgoers this year that features special guests from the fairgrounds explaining their roles and what they do to keep the Erie County Fair going every year.
"'Heritage Talks' is a new series, [where] we feature speakers from various departments of the fairgrounds that make this possible for everyone," Steinagle explained. "At three o'clock [every afternoon], we have them coming in from the emergency management system to the Buffalo Raceway to conservation. It's gonna be a lot of fun just seeing different aspects of the fair, and seeing how things run from behind the scenes."
Brayton J. Wilson - WBEN
A schedule of speakers for every day of "Heritage Talks" can be found here:
More of our conversation with Steinagle is available in the player below:
