From the heat, to the wind, and to the rain, the past couple of days have taken a toll on the fair.

“We hit two bad days of weather with oppressive heat on both days and then we ended Wednesday with a rain storm and lightning storm,” said Acting State Fair Director Troy Waffner. “We actually pulled our act off Chevy Court and kind of battened down the hatches. Unfortunately we had those two days which kind of dampened down attendance.”

“We noticed the pace was a little bit slower,” said Nancy’s Pita Pit Restaurant Manager Matthew Marshall. “It was slow and steady. The weather can make or break a day for any one of these vendors or any one of the ride attendants. The weather plays a big factor here.”

“It’s kind of amazing depending on what part of the country you’re in and the relevance of temperature,” said Wade Shows Chief Executive Officer Frank Zaiteshik. “Folks up here were extremely hot and we felt the effects of it."

Luckily for everyone, Thursday’s weather made a huge difference.

“We're kicking off into a weekend with a cold front coming in,” said Waffner.  “Cold is better for the fair than heat. As long as it doesn’t rain and the weather holds, you’re going to see us bounce back with attendance and go for that attendance record.”

Cold weather is a forecast vendors love to hear.

“What it does is it makes us busy,” said Marshall. “We don’t like standing around. We like moving. We like serving people. We like having some fun. Put a smile on people’s faces while having some good food.”

“Man doesn’t live by just bread alone and if I was in it just for the bread, I’d be out, so I love it,” said Zaiteshik. “When things are going good and we look good, life couldn’t be better.”

If you don’t want to take the fair organizer or vendor’s word for it, try the fairgoer.

“This is the absolute perfect day to come to the fair,” said Syracuse residents Kathy and Kevin Morton. “Low humidity, beautiful breeze, sunshine, couldn’t ask for a better day.”