Progress claims another one. Yesterday the 38 year old grandstand at the great New York Stair Fair was demolished to make way for a new and improved fair going experience. For years public officials have claimed it was too old and the upgrades too expensive to attract the national talent necessary for turning a profit. Seeing as I’m just five years younger than this obsolete structure I’m glad tax dollars aren’t used to keep me going or might be out of here before 2020! Over the decades the grandstand played host to an almost countless number of famous musical acts and other talent. And let us not forget about the motorsports! Demolition derbys, monster trucks, tractor pulls, the famous Great American Truck Racing series and of course, Super Dirt Week. All of that history came crashing to the earth in just around twenty seconds after 268 precision explosions tore the steel support beams with shocking ease.
The public was invented to attend by viewing from a nearby parking lot. It would have been a great spot if you had x-ray vision so my father and I decided to camp out on a nearby bridge. We arrived early and had our choice of spots. Soon we were joined by hundreds of others hoping to catch a glimpse of a structure that helped symbolize the the unofficial end to summer for generations. I can’t even begin to write intelligently about the DIRT fans who will now have to find a new home. Check out this great article over Jalopnik for a passionate explanation of what was lost yesterday.
My goal in the coming weeks of this new year? To obtain more footage of the removal the 2500 tons of concrete and 150 tons of steel that made up the grandstand. It’s estimated to take a few months. I think I can figure something out during that time. So long grandstand, it feels like we hardly knew you.