Queens County Fair

Queens County Fair

• September 22 and 23, 2012, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.: Queens County Fair

The annual Queens County Fair (2012 is the 30th year) is held mid-September each year for two days. In addition to carnival rides, attractions include the Amazing Maize Maze, pie-eating and corn-husking contests, hayrides, pony rides, a petting zoo, plenty of special shows like a frog jumping exhibit, and crafts. Plus there's Irish and German music and cover bands, Big Apple Circus Variety Acts, blue-ribbon vegetables, and plenty of vendors hawking bad-for-you-but-tastes-good fried foods.

Like a county fair in upstate, it's also a chance to meet local politicians and check out a couple corporate exhibits. In 2007 JetBlue staged the interior of an airplane, open for exploration.

Entrance to the fair costs about $8 per adult and $5 per child. Expect to pay $3+ per carnival ride, another $2 per child to feed the animals, and more for hayrides and exploring the maze. We usually spend about $20 per person for an afternoon, and maybe more if you want to buy lunch there.

A word about the Amazing Maize Maze... I was a skeptic, and then we tried it. It's a lot of fun for a family, little kids up to teenagers. The farm does a great job making it entertaining and challenging. I highly recommend you try it. The maze is open usually weekends from mid-September to early November.