Syracuse Jazz Fest and the Fair – Waiting on a Response from the State

Syracuse, NY. . . . A recently-published newspaper article stated that . . . Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed extending the fair by five days to make it an 18-day festival. That proposal is part of the state budget, which the Legislature is expected to act on by April 1. For now, Waffner said, the fair is planning for a fair that runs Aug. 21 to Sept. 7. “Right now, we’re planning for an 18-day fair,” Waffner said.

Commentary from Frank Malfitano, Founder & Executive Director of Syracuse Jazz Fest Productions, Inc.

So what does this paragraph above mean exactly?

We at Syracuse Jazz Fest think it means supplemental talent programming monies from NY State for an expanded 18-day Fair have not yet been approved by state lawmakers. We at SJFP Inc. also interpret that to mean that the FAIR –  if expanded –  will still need monies for programming for August 21-25.

Since the proposed 5-day expansion of the Fair to 18 days – and the proposed addition of $5 million to its budget for that purpose –  are still unofficial and pending, contingent on approval by state lawmakers,- scheduled to vote on the proposed budget on or about April 1, – we wish to state the following for the record:

Syracuse Jazz Fest remains vitally interested in working closely with state officials in Albany to implement and execute a proposed 2-day edition, (on a 2-year exploratory basis), of Syracuse Jazz Fest within the proposed 18-day run of the Fair, which will feature NY-centric and NYS based jazz artists and groups – Artists TBD – on any 2 back-to-back days of the proposed 5-day FAIR extension, commencing in 2020; at the stages and venues of the state’s choosing.

Since talent programming will be needed for the added 5-day period between August 21 and 25, Syracuse Jazz Fest is proposing that Jazz Fest – now in its 36th year, as one of the top 25 longest running jazz festivals in the world – will work conjointly with NYS contractor Triangle Talent to program a 2-day Jazz Fest within the expanded Fair time frame, with the state allocating $300,000 annually for this purpose.

NOTE: The aforementioned 2-day Syracuse Jazz Fest at The Fair proposal was submitted to NYS Dept of Ag & Mkts on Feb 4, 2020. We are currently awaiting a formal response from the Governor’s office and/or the NYS Dept of AG & Markets in Albany as to whether or not our proposal will be approved, after the passage of the 2020 NYS budget –  on or about April  1 –  by NYS lawmakers.

We also feel the above Syracuse Post-Standard excerpt raises certain questions for Albany officials that remain presently unanswered at this time, including:

1. Does it mean State officials In Albany in the Governor’s office – in tandem with officials at the NYS Dept of Agriculture and Markets – have a proposal on the table for a 5-day expansion of the existing 13-day NYS Fair that will add 5 days to the front end of the 2020 Fair, thereby creating an 18-day NYS Fair?
2. OR  . . . Does it mean State officials In Albany in the Governor’s office – in tandem with officials at the NYS Dept of Agriculture and Markets – have a budget proposal on the table for an additional five million dollars in NYS funding that would allow for a five-day expansion of the existing 13-day NYS Fair, which would – if approved by state lawmakers – subsequently add 5 days to the front end of the 2020 Fair, to be accompanied by an additional five million dollars to be used in part for programming big name talent?
3. What happens if state lawmakers in the NYS Assembly and Senate reject the proposed budget submitted by the Governor, and do not pass this proposed $5,000,000 budget addition for the NYS Fair, on or about April 1st?
4. Will the Governor and NYS Dept of AG & Markets still extend the 2020 NYS Fair by 5 days?
5. OR, is the Fair’s proposed 5-day expansion and extension contingent on receiving an additional $5 million in State monies to fund those 5 days?
6. If state lawmakers fail to pass the budget’s proposed addition of 5 days and $5 million to the Fair, is there a contingency line in the budget that cover the $5 million shortfall to cover this gap, that would still enable and facilitate the proposed 5-day expansion?
7. Without budget approval for the proposal 5-day expansion, has the officially contracted talent buyer for the Fair – Triangle Talent – been ‘directed’ by the NYS Dept of Ag and Mkts to program and book talent for Chevy Court, the Experience stage and other stages for the proposed 5-day addition to the Fair?
8. OR, has NYS Fair talent buyer Triangle Talent been directed by the NYS Dept of AG & Markets to hold off on the submission of offers to major talent booking agencies until after a vote on the 2020 NYS budget has been taken?
9. Have any artists & acts been booked by Triangle Talent for August 21-25, 2020?
10. If the answer is yes to #9 above, where will that funding for talent come from?
11. If the answer is no to #9 above, can we assume that the talent booking process for the first 5 days of an expanded Fair will subsequently commence after the tentatively scheduled April 1 vote on the NYS budget has taken place?
12. If the answer to #11 above is a yes, – that talent booking will not begin until after April 1st – could we not conclude that there is still time for NYS officials to include a 2-day NYS-centric edition of Syracuse Jazz Fest at the proposed 18-day Fair in 2020?

Inquiring minds would like to know. Syracuse Jazz Fest and the community would also like to know. I guess we’ll all find out in 30 days time if the possibility of staging Jazz Fest at the Fair, during the Fair, with state funding made available for talent, is going to happen. Until then, the clock is ticking.