Where can you eat pierogi poutine and a loganberry funnel cake corn dog on the same day? The Erie County Fair, of course. This year’s fair is coming up on Aug. 7-18, and there will be plenty of options to vote for in the New Food Showdown.
Dressed in a white chef coat, Marty Biniasz previewed Wednesday some of the creative dishes that will compete in the entrée category and brand new “Sweets & Treats” group at the 2019 fair.
“This year’s fair foods will not disappoint the fairgoers who have a sense of culinary adventure,” said Biniasz, the fair’s marketing manager. “Flaming hot Cheeto fries, hot candy wings, pierogi poutine and Luv Puffs [are] just some of the new foods that are going to be debuted at the 180th Erie County Fair.”
Biniasz said more than 1 million people are expected to attend the 12-day-long event, which is America’s largest county fair east of the Rocky Mountains.
This year, fairgoers will have their choice of over 500 menu items offered by 125 vendors—some of whom are old favorites and others who are brand new.
Shannon Dehn has run The Cookie Barn at the fair four the past four years, but her participation at the event goes back much longer than that.
“I’ve been at the fair for 26 years doing birch beer with my father,” Dehn said. “It’s fun hearing memories from people who’ve been coming to our stands for that long, and hearing now [that they’re] bringing their kids to the fair.”
Dehn is one of 25 vendors who will be offering a healthy menu item this year—avocado double chocolate cookies—as part of the fair’s fourth year of participation in the Independent Health Foundation’s Healthy Options program.
Healthy options will be marked on vendor menus with an orange sticker.
The Erie County Fair will also continue its partnership with FeedMore WNY to help fill the food bank’s warehouse during a lean time of year for donations. On Wednesday, Aug. 7, the opening day of the fair, fairgoers can gain free admission with the donation of two canned food items.
