Ir's gonna be a great ride: Granite State Fair kicks off its inaugural, historic run

SOME GET EXCITED ... SOME NOT SO MUCH: A group of young people enjoy a ride on the Seven Seas on Thursday at the Granite State Fair. (Rochester Voice photos)

ROCHESTER - A healthy crowd took advantage of the Granite State Fair's opening night on Thursday perusing the few physical changes at the fairgrounds and enjoying relatively short lines at the midway's amusement rides and food venues.

Added are two open air beer gardens: one near the Exhibition Hall and another down by the grandstand. Both had live entertainment last night, including bluesman Alan Roux by the Exhibition Hall and Nichole Knox Murphy at the Grandstand Saloon.

Ellie Spurling, 4, and Nicole have some fun on the dancefloor as bluesman Alan Roux looks on inside the beer hall and snack bar outside the Exhibition Hall.

The newly renamed Granite State Fair had a couple of wi-fi and electrical glitches early on but most were cleared up within an hour or so after its 4 p.m. opening.

Fiesta Shows rides this year are using wi-fi to deduct credits from a purchased passcard.

As a convenience many of the food venues also take debit or credit cards but bring cash just in case.

That said, we saw few lines at foodstands, with plenty of options available on a pleasant, mild mid-September night.

Mary Jane Coker of Rochester looks over her display of mini purses at her kiosk inside the Exhibition Hall of the Granite State Fair on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Exhibition Hall was teeming with displays and vendors, including Mary Jane Coker of Rochester, who sews handcrafted items she's

been making for several years.

She's been sewing for half a century, she said, and recently began selling her wares out of a kiosk outside Papa Gino's at the Lilac Mall.

Among her handiwork are mini purses, crayon totes, pot holders and hanging towels.

She also sells tissue holders that snap shut using recycled metal tape from tape measures.

Coker's Exhibition Hall kiosk is at the cityside end of the hall, across from The Rochester Voice's space.

Tonight will see the fair's biggest entertainment offering with a performance by Recycled Percussion at 8 p.m.. Tickets can be reserved at granitestatefair.com. The performance is sponsored by Eastern Propane.

Circus Hollywood shows today are at 5 and 7 p.m., while a cornhole tournament is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the main beer hall.

The fair opens to the public at 4 p.m.