Opening Day as Seen By Jon, the Marketing Intern

Opening Day as Seen By Jon, the Marketing Intern

I am sitting at my desk after quite a hectic morning of interviews and tasks. That’s to be expected, as our entire year revolves around these seventeen days. Almost the entire summer I am used to looking out and seeing an empty parking lot filled with a few dozen cars. Now I look out and see hundreds of people passing my window almost every few seconds. They’re fairgoers. Everyone who was willing to take some time off from school, work, or not in either one of those and had some free time, seems to be here. I see wheelchairs, baby carriages and backpackers. It’s a quite a stark contrast to the emptiness I have grown accustomed to. Right now there is a huge chipmunk, our mascot BiggiE, waving to a couple of people.

The entire structure of my job has changed. Things have gotten a whole lot busier with new and more exciting tasks. Right now I can hear an R & B Band playing on the Court of Honor Stage. Everyone who is here at the Fair, is here because they want to be, especially the fairgoers, employees, and who knows maybe even the sea lions and elephants. Running around and doing errands is something that I am really starting to enjoy about this new atmosphere, it gives me a chance to explore the fairgrounds and the people who make this Fair a reality; it gives me a very personal view of the Fair. It’s more than just a business, a job, or even a career. It’s about the people behind each of these things. This Fair is the people. those who, like me, this Fair is the first one I have ever worked at. Or maybe others who have been here for thirty or even fifty years. It’s about us, it is us. We are the Fair. We make it breathe, make it into more than just an idea on a wall and into a tangible event that draw over a million people.

We give it life in a way that an average amusement park, or even Disney World lack altogether. This isn’t just “a job” to us. We consider The Big E ours, a part of us and that each and every one of us who contributes to the Fair has a stake in, a part ownership in. We do our jobs with a sort of passion that is lacking on the bland expressions you find at one of the other “attractions.” It’s because we’re local and special. It’s because this day is just as special to us as it is to the fairgoer, we only get seventeen of these days rather than a whole season or year. This Fair, The Big E means something to us. We are about it.

We’re more than just co-workers here, we’re a fair family. We know everything about each other in a way that only years of companionship can procure from people. At the employee orientation about a week ago, it was more like a family reunion than an orientation. There were no bland expressions or bored dispositions. Everyone was in a very jovial mood, like they were seeing old friends, because in fact they were seeing old friends. It was a party, not with friends, but with family.

I guess this Fair is more than just a fair, it has become something more to each and every one of us, it’s become a part of ourselves.

Craz-E Burger is Crazy Delicious

This is the sandwich you have been dreaming of, a glorious and delicious combination of crispy bacon and tender burger with generous portion of melty gooey cheese sandwiched in between… a grilled glazed donut! What’s not to love and adore about this taste monstrosity? This motley crew of flavors and textures come into a perfect union in the form of the Craz-E Burger.

This special and one of a kind treat can be found at The Big E at the Big EZ Café which is located outside Door 7 of the Better Living Center.

The naming rights were won by Marty Brownsey of West Seneca, New York whose “Craz-E Burger” was chosen from a very competitive field of over four hundred individual Facebook entries. There were entries such as “Heart Attack on a Bun” and “The E-Normous.”

Although this burger can seem intimidating, if you are able to conquer it, your taste buds will thank you. Those who have tried it have not regretted it.

The taste combination is something quite unique and unexpectedly good considering the odd combination. The glaze is a perfect complement to the bacon and seems to harmonize the other ingredients. The flaky and golden donut is sweeter and more delicious from the hamburger roll you are used to and transforms the bland into the delicious. And what would a self-respecting burger be without bacon? You get two pieces of crispy, thin cut bacon on this burger.

Excitement and expectation are high as fairgoers will make their way from the entrance gates to the Big EZ Café in order to be the first to taste this most intriguing burger and decide for themselves whether it’s “over the top” or “just right.”

Anticipation High for Big E Entertainment Lineup

With several artists sure to deliver the goods, The Big E’s entertainment lineup is promising to be one to remember. Artists are gearing up for the 2009 Fair, and drawing a great deal of anticipation and excitement from fans. With less than 3 weeks until Opening Day, artists are stirring up interest for what will be one of the major tour stops.

The only ticketed concert this year featuring the popular Country music band, Sugarland, sold out quickly. Since receiving the Breakthrough Favorite New Artist award at the American Music Awards in 2005, Sugarland has taken the Country music industry by storm. Radio and fans alike have embraced their singles, “Baby Girl,” “Something More,” “Settlin’,” “All I Want To Do” and “Stay.”

It’s an understatement to say that Sugarland has come a long way fast. They have been honored as the Academy of Country Music’s (ACM) 2009 Duo of the Year. They also won the Country Music Association’s 2008 Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group and Best Country Song for "Stay."

Sugarland has been touring all over the country, and recently performed in front of a sold out crowd at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass. With over 80,000 fans coming out to support Sugarland only a month before the band returns to Massachusetts, emotions will run high and excitement and enthusiasm will remain for one of the most popular Country bands in the nation.

Jamey Johnson is touring and will stop at The Big E on Sept. 27 in a free show. Johnson won the ACM song of the year with his hit single “In Color” and his new single, titled “My Way to You,” is climbing the charts. Rolling Stone described the song as “A guilt-scarred tune by Country’s top outlaw that begins like a honky-tonk hangover and ends like a hair-metal power ballad.”

Teen phenomenon Charice has also been generating excitement with a strong fan base located right here five thousand miles away from her native Manila in the Philippines. She is currently working on her first album under the direction of David Foster. Backed by the powerhouse of “The Hitman,” Charice is destined for major stardom.