By Mark David Blum

Notwithstanding Dan O’Hara’s attempts to make the Fair sterile and droll, the one part of the Fair that scored big time was the music. No, I do NOT refer to the grand stand or to Cole/Miller/Chevy/Blum Court bands booked by the Fair itself. (Does anybody remember Dan’s first promise as Fair director? He was going to bring us Bruce Springsteen as one of the acts. Hey Dan, no Bruce).

Thankfully, the Coliseum, and a handful of restaurants picked up the slack. Bar after bar and restaurant after restaurant brought in musical talent that made the Fair truly worthwhile at night. Whether it is headbanging Guns and Roses or smooth and mellow like Journey, there was a great selection of music everywhere you went. Spending fifty dollars for Grand Stand tickets or waiting five hours for a semi decent seat in Chevy Court was too much sacrifice for mediocrity when a grand selection of great music was available everywhere else.

On Saturday night, most of the walkway on the midway was treated to the wonderful sounds of the “Official Band of Syracuse”; namely, the Syracuse Kiltie Pipe Band. Moving from spot to spot, the bagpipers and drum corps provided great entertainment and actually made you appreciate an instrument that normally sounds like a cat with its balls caught in a meat grinder.

The more I listened, the more I began to enjoy and get into the music. Several tunes were known to me and I joined in singing aloud to Danny Boy and Amazing Grace. It was just a wonderful delightful peaceful experience. Had it not been for two punk teenagers walking through the middle of the band shouting out “faggots”, the performance would have been perfect. Several members were starting after the teens but I shouted out, “they aint nothing. Don’t let them ruin your mood. Let the music play.”

And the Band played on to the delight of hundreds.