They don’t call it the “Best 12 Days of Summer” for nothing: The Erie County Fair kicks off on August 7 and packs as much fun as possible into nearly two weeks, taking over the Hamburg Fairgrounds.

It’s got a lot of something for everyone:

And then there’s the food.

The stars of this year’s New Food Showdown include bacon cheeseburger poutine from Poutine Gourmet, brisket nachos from Dre’s Place BBQ, Buffalo chicken banana peppers from Salvatore’s Pizza, chicken feta fries from Venus, hot candy wings from BW BBQ, a mac & cheese sundae from Mineo & Sapio, pierogi poutine with shredded pot roast from Babcia’s Pierogi, potato butts from Renaissance Lodge Curly Q’s, a soba noodle stir-fry with sweet teriyaki chicken from Wok on the Wild Side Foods and Flaming Hot Cheetos fries from Big Kahuna’s.

There are beer, wine and cider vendors to help wash down all those choices, of course.

Looking for something a little more active? There’s still time to register for the Erie County Fair 5k, which will take place on August 10. The race starts at 8 a.m. but registration begins at 7 a.m., so don’t be late.

Admission to the fair is $12 for adults, $9 for seniors and children under 12 are free every day. There are free admission for various groups, including veterans, firefighters and students.  Reduced price tickets are available only until August 6 and can be purchased at Tops across Western New York. The fair runs daily from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. every day except opening day, when the gates will open at noon. 

The fair — and some might say the summer itself — ends on August 18.