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Azella Alvarez has been participating in the Winter Fair as a food vendor since its first edition in 2019, where she said over 250,000 people attended. In 2014, Alvarez started the first Filipino restaurant in Syracuse, Oompa Loompyas.

Alvarez said she began participating in the fair to share Filipino culture through lumpias, a Filipino style of mini egg rolls made from beef and chicken.

“My purpose was to introduce it, and now nine out of ten people will say I brought (lumpias) to upstate New York. So very proud of that and representing New York in general.”

The Nave Law Winter Fair took place this past weekend from Feb. 4-6. All were welcomed to take part in the festivities in the Exposition Center, the largest open space venue outside New York City between Boston and Cleveland, according to the fair’s website.

Because of the pandemic, the Winter Fair could not take place last year, Steve Becker, the fair’s promoter, said in a press release. However, he and Sean Kelsey, the chief operating officer of Nave Law Firm — the naming sponsor for the fair this year — were eager to bring the community together this year.

“It will be great to have an event to chase away the winter blues,” Becker said. “The New York State Fairgrounds have great (year-round) events, and we want to have The Nave Law Winter Fair be an annual tradition in ‘Making Memories,’” Becker said.

Moreover, Kelsey, who spent time with his family at the fair, highlighted the importance of being involved and supporting the fair, as well as making the experience of the community memorable.

Attendees enjoyed the fair indoors by taking part in a variation of attractions such as The Villa Pizze Fritte, a Ferris wheel and performances by the Six Nations dancers. The fair featured many contributors, including performers and food vendors who took the opportunity to share their culture.

For people in the community, the fair served as a great way to spend time with loved ones while gaining cultural enrichment. Shamier Jackson, a digital marketer in downtown Syracuse, came to the fair because a friend invited him. He said he looked forward to it because it was his first time attending the fair.

“I loved the idea that the fair was indoors, because I do not know how long I would have stayed if it was outside,” Jackson said.
As a lover of history, Jackson added that watching the Six Nations dancers was his favorite part of the fair because he got to learn about the culture of the original people of the land in New York. He said he enjoyed watching children in the crowd also join in the dances.

Jordan Smith, a member of the Mohawk Nation, had grown up coming to the fair with his family. As a dancer of the Six Nations, Smith said he and other performers utilized various art forms to invite other Indigenous people, as well as others, to come to the fair.

“It’s really about the opportunity of the interaction to educate … other people,” Smith said. “Because if we don’t educate and give the knowledge that we have, I can’t expect the next coming generations to do that.”

DISCLAIMER: Adriana Lobo was the Student Association’s Community Engagement co-chair. She no longer occupies this position.

Published on February 6, 2022 at 9:49 pm