SYRACUSE – Forget 2%…
A bold new flavor will be coming to the New York State Fair’s iconic 25-cent milk bar following a $3 million investment from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration, she announced at the launch of the annual event Wednesday.
“Not only are we going to go from vanilla and chocolate, drumroll, we’re introducing strawberry,” Hochul said to a moo-ving round of applause at a celebratory breakfast in the Syracuse fair’s expo building.
Gov. Kathy Hochul speaking at the launch of the New York State Fair in Syracuse on Aug. 20, 2025. Vaughn Golden/NY Post
Hochul announced that strawberry milk will be added to the fair’s famous milk bar. Vaughn Golden/NY PostThe multi-million dollar renovation of the iconic Rainbow Dairy Bar will add refrigeration technology and storage tanks necessary to bring udderly fresh milk from Empire State farms to tap.
“A sustained investment to make sure that our attractions are top notch, that our facilities are first rate, that sends a message that this is a place of significance and importance,” Hochul said.
The new and improved dairy bar is expected to be unveiled at the 2027 Great New York State Fair.
“It’s been the ‘rainbow milk bar’ for a long time, but it only had two colors of the rainbow,” state Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball noted.
Hochul sampling the milk at the state fair. Vaughn Golden/NY Post
Hochul touring the fair grounds with Ag and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball and State Fair Director Julie LaFave. Vaughn Golden/NY Post“So [we’re] pretty excited to add strawberry milk.”
Ball, during the breakfast, presented Hochul with a shirt that had a picture of a cow on it and the word “legen-dairy.”
At last year’s fair, Hochul vowed never to allow the price of a cup of milk at the bar to rise above its longstanding 25-cent cost.
The stand is traditionally run by the Cornell Cooperative extension and operated by kids in the 4H youth agriculture program.
Hochul examining a butter sculpture at the fair. Vaughn Golden/NY Post
Hochul meeting with a New York State Trooper and a pair of puppies at the fair. Vaughn Golden/NY Post
Hochul holding up a cow shirt at the New York State Fair. Vaughn Golden/NY PostThe fair — which will be open to the public daily between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. until September 1 — features numerous musical acts and rides and is an annual celebration of New York’s agriculture sector.
“For all those outside New York who think New York is just a bunch of skyscrapers, welcome to the rest of the state,” Hochul said.
The first day of the fair, dubbed Governor’s Day, has traditionally coincided with a visit and media tour with the state’s top exec and many of her top aides.
