The Erie County Fair announced Friday that its midway will remain in familiar hands. After 91 years of operation, Strates Shows has agreed to a ten-year contract extension.An industry group says the relationship between the Strates and the Fair is the longest continuous run of any carnival midway in the U.S. The Fair's marketing manager, Marty Biniasz, says the lengthy run is unheard of in the carnival industry.
"There have been a lot of changes in the carnival industry: consolidating of shows, shows going out of business, events like the State Fair which recently had changed their contract after 60 years. We value long-term partnerships and we value those relationships," said Biniasz.
The contract extension was announced at a news conference Friday morning at the Hamburg fairgrounds.
Biniasz says over the decades, the Strates have become family and friends with many Western New Yorkers and that continuity shows in the Fair's continued success.