HAMBURG, N.Y. — The Erie County Fair continues through Sunday, and there is news that should please those who love the rides.
Rides have been an integral part of the fun of the "Best 12 Days of Summer," and for longer than most anyone could remember the rides have provided Strates Shows, a company based in Florida, which had its beginnings in the Southern Tier of New York.
Strates has been providing amusements for the Erie County fair for 99 years, which is believed believed to be the longest such partnership anywhere in the nation.
Next year will mark the 100th anniversary of this partnership. Hhowever, they won't be waiting to celebrate the centennial.
It was announced on Thursday that all amusement rides will be free for 100 minutes on Friday, beginning at noon and concluding at 1:40 p.m.
Four generations of the Strates family have operated the business, which began in 1923 as a traveling wrestling show.
Eventually the business expanded to include carnival side shows and animal acts before concentrating on providing amusement rides to events across the nation.
Up until a few years ago, Strates was also the last company to bring in rides on its own train.
"We still own the train, we still have the equipment, and we still have the expertise to operate it," James Strates confirmed.
However, the economics of it, these days, makes it cost and time prohibitive to use.
Strates knows people miss it, as evident by the number of questions he gets as to whether the train will ever operate again.
"We've been in contact with the railroad, and if they'd like to flip things upside down so it becomes significantly less expensive ... it's something we'd consider," he said.