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Final nights of 2018 Fairgrounds Festival of Lights

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Mon, Dec 17th 2018 02:50 pm

Only five evenings remain to experience the Fairgrounds Festival of Lights at the Erie County Fairgrounds in Hamburg. Beginning Wednesday, Dec. 19, the festival will feature an expanded schedule. Gates will be open from 5-9 p.m. (through Sunday, Dec. 23), with the buildings and grounds staying open until 10 p.m.

Admission to the Fairgrounds Festival of Lights includes a wide array of activities and holiday fun, six decorated buildings, live family entertainment, craft making and vendors.

Highlights include:

•Kandy Kane’s Holiday Magic Show – Buffalo-native John Kennedy Kane performs during the Fairgrounds Festival of Lights as the legendary elf “Kandy Kane.” More than just a magic show, Kane’s sharp wit and self-deprecating humor will entertain both children and adults alike during each half-hour performance. Showtimes: Weekdays 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 6:30, 8 and 9:15 p.m.

•Canstruction Competition & Display – See a gallery of structures made entirely out of canned goods. Employees from Praxair, Wendel, Hale Expo Services, National Fuel, Trautman Associates, Ferguson Electric and Hamburg Gaming created these designs with all canned goods used to benefit the Food Bank of Western New York.

•Rudolph’s Holiday Fun Zone – This interactive children’s area features the “The Night You Save Christmas” digital game and the “Find Frosty” giant I-Spy.

•The Polar Stop – Located inside the New York State Police Building, this railroad-themed display includes toy train layouts provided by local model railroad clubs. Other activities include the Tops Winterland Workshop, where kids can make a one-of-a-kind craft to bring home. Families can design a holiday card for veterans and troops as well as visit the Drive Safe Forest sponsored by WNY United. On Sundays, the Polar Stop will feature “Story Time with the Conductor” at 7:30 p.m.

•Frosty’s 3D Adventure – A 3,000-square-foot walkthrough-maze that takes people through a day with Frosty; best viewed with the complimentary, patented 3-D chromadepth glasses for the ultimate 3-D effect.

•North Pole Experience featuring Santa Claus – Guests are transported to the North Pole as they make their way through displays including a toy shop, elf village and the Arctic. The height of the experience comes when guests stand face to face with Santa’s house, where the “Big Guy” himself will be meeting guests on the front porch. Families are encouraged to bring their own cameras to capture a lasting memory of the holidays. At 10,000 square feet, it ranks as the largest Santa display in the region.

•Santa's Magical Midway – Features an array of kiddie rides from the days of yesteryear. Each nostalgic ride has been fully reconditioned to bring back their original grandeur. Kiddie rides are located inside the Grange Building. Larger rides are included inside the Event Center.

•Upstate Farms Express – Climb aboard this fun-sized train for a short ride up and down 42nd Street. The train leaves from the 42nd Street Train Depot throughout the night.

•WNY Snow Gauge – Located on 42nd Street, the gauge is a 20-feet-high graphic documenting historic Buffalo winter snowfall records. Included are such milestones as the current national record of 199.4 inches set back in the winter of 1977-78, and the Erie County one-day record of 47.5 inches achieved on Nov. 20, 2014.

•Santa’s Reindeer – Live reindeer return to the Fairgrounds Festival of Lights. Antler Ridge Farms of Hamburg is showcasing a number of its prized North American reindeer each Sunday of the Festival inside Rudolph’s Holiday Fun Zone.

Admission to the Fairgrounds Festival of Lights is $25 per carload at the gate. The Fairgrounds Festival of Lights is sponsored by the Erie County Agricultural Society (ECAS). For more information, visit www.FairgroundsHoliday.com.

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