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Ventriloquism and fried pickles -just another day at the fair

By KATIE YOUNG
Freeman staff

NEW PALTZ - It might not really be magic, but it sure takes a lot of practice.
Sylvia Markson, ventriloquist for the Magic Trunk act at the Ulster County Fair, didn't move a mouth muscle as she entertained a packed tent of onlookers on Friday — not even when she sang with the puppets or spoke in Spanish.
Markson has been traveling from one venue to the next with her act for the past 12 years. She says it started as a childhood hobby.
"I love entertaining — making people smile and happy," Markson said.
The Saratoga Springs native brought out several puppets from her black magic trunk to help on Friday, including a red and yellow dinosaur named Oliver and a sometimes-Spanish-speaking possum
Freeman photos by Bob Haines
ABOVE: The aptly named Joann Pickles, left, buys fried pickles from Heidi Thorbahm on Friday at the Ulster County Fair In New Paltz. BELOW: Sylvia Mason performs a ventriloquism act during the Magic Trunk show at the fair.
nick­named Chito.
Markson opened the 45-minute act with an echoing cup trick — pretending to catch her voice in a paper cup as she mimicked phrases through her unflinch­ing teeth to an impressed audience.
Ronald Riordan came with his 5-year-old grandson, Mark DePaollo, from Poughkeepsie to enjoy the act. Riordan said he and Mark come to the fair every year but usually miss the shows because they're busy enjoying other attractions.
Willow resident Kathy Auchmoody got more than she bargained for when her 6-year-old grandson, Josh, was called up on stage to act as Markson's ventriloquist "dummy." Josh's siblings, 12-year-old Joey, 10-year-old-Annette and 8-year-old Kyle, laughed hysterically as their brother sat on Markson's trunk and sported a black top hat. red bow tie and plastic mask with moving mouthpiece.
"I laughed so hard I had tears running down my cheeks," Auchmoody said. "It was so cute."
"He (Josh) was hilarious," Joey added.

BUT THE fair offers more than just funny and unusual acts. There's some pretty interesting food, too.
One of this year's stand-out culinary attractions is Spacey Tracy's Fried Pickle stand.
Heidi Thorbahm of Wallkill. who was busy selling the unusual snacks to curi­ous customers, said the owner, Tracy Krawitt, began the business by pickling preserves from her home in Staatsburg and tried the fried pickle idea out for the first time this summer.
Among the people trying the odd treat on Friday were — no kidding — Jim and Joann Pickles of Hyde Park.
"We thought we'd have to try it since our last name is Pickles," Mrs. Pickles said.
The couple said they enjoyed the fried treat, which they described as having an interesting, slightly sour taste.
Thorbahm said the pickles are sliced, coated with a tempura batter and deep fried in a light canola oil. A separate pre­serve stand offered cans of Krawitt's pickled green tomatoes, garlicky dill pickles, pickled peppers and garlic mint jelly, among other goodies.
FAIR Manager Gary Newkirk said atten­dance was better on Friday than Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, when the tem­perature hovered near 100 degrees,
Friday's high was only in the mid-80s.
Wednesday's attendance was 2,963, the lowest Newkirk had ever seen, he said.
Victor Work, the fair's first aid direc­tor, said only a couple of people had to be treated for heat-related ailment, on Friday, compared with larger numbers during the heat wave.
Newkirk said he expected a large crowd Friday night and strong attendance over the weekend.
The Ulster County Fair runs through Sunday. The fairgrounds are on Libertyville Road in New Paltz.