SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The night sky over the western end of the New York State Fairgrounds will come alive with light, sound and motion as a brand-new drone light show takes flight for the 2018 Great New York State Fair, Acting Director Troy Waffner announced today. The shows will occur at approximately 9:30 p.m. over the New York Experience festival grounds. Shows will take place each night of the Fair except for Labor Day, when the annual closing-night fireworks display takes place. The new event takes place as New York State is named the leading state for drone technology development by Business Facilities Magazine.
“We’re excited to bring a different kind of fireworks to the skies over the Fair and I think people are going to enjoy this new attraction. It’s one more reason to visit the New York Experience area, which we are building into one of the most interesting spaces at the Fair,” said Waffner.
The show, provided by Great Lakes Drone Company, features 25 drones with lights attached. They will fly in precision patterns to form objects, timed to music that will play from the New York Experience Stage’s sound system.
Business Facilities Magazine ranked New York #1 among states, citing the state’s investment in the Drone Corridor and noting that the 50-mile length of sensors and radars is due to be in full activation later this year.
The Drone Light Show joins the Fair’s Drone Film Festival as attractions created to highlight the state’s investment in unmanned aerial vehicle technology. The Film Festival, in its second year, continues to attract entries from filmmakers around the world who are using drones in their work or who are spotlighting the innovative uses of unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Drone Corridor
New York State created the drone corridor in 2016, a 50-mile area of Central New York and the Mohawk Valley, with the intention of building on the region’s long history with aviation and sensing systems to create a global hub for research, development and manufacturing of systems for unmanned aerial vehicles. The state connected companies that create software, equipment, and systems to the best minds in Central New York, including the region’s colleges and universities, skilled manufacturers, military assets, and an FAA-approved test site—creating regional exponential growth in the unmanned aerial vehicle industry.
The development of the drone corridor is making Central New York an integral part of a trillion-dollar global industry, attracting business development and new drone technology to the state.
Accelerating Central NY Rising
Today’s announcement complements “Central NY Rising,” the region’s comprehensive blueprint to generate robust economic growth and community development. The State already has invested nearly $3 billion in the region since 2012 to lay the groundwork for the plan – capitalizing on global market opportunities, strengthening entrepreneurship and creating an inclusive economy. Today, unemployment is down to the lowest levels since before the Great Recession; personal and corporate income taxes are down; and businesses are choosing places like Syracuse, Oswego and Auburn as a destination to grow and invest in.
Now, the region is accelerating Central NY Rising with a $500 million State investment through the Upstate Revitalization Initiative, announced by Governor Cuomo in December 2015. The State’s $500 million investment will incentivize private business to invest well over $2.5 billion – and the region’s plan, as submitted, projects up to 5,900 new jobs. More information is available here.
The New York State Fair, operated by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, runs from August 22 to September 3, 2018. The Fair’s mission, reflected in its theme, “FIND YOUR GREAT,” is to showcase the best of New York agriculture while providing top-quality entertainment.
The home of the Great New York State Fair is a 375-acre exhibit and entertainment complex that operates all year. A year-round schedule of events is available on the Fair’s website. Find The Great New York State Fair on Facebook, follow @NYSFair on Twitter, on Snapchat at nysfair and enjoy photos at the Fair’s Flickr photo archive. Also, New Yorkers are invited to send their ideas for the Great New York State Fair at statefairideas@agriculture.ny.gov.
–Great New York State Fair
NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets
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