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A drawing of the proposed new Main Street-style entrance to the New York State Fair. Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney shared the drawing during her 'State of the County' address.

(Screen shot from PowerPoint)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney has asked Gov. Andrew Cuomo to spend $50 million in state money to turn the New York State Fair into a year-round destination with new horse arenas, an ice arena and more.

"We're going to rebrand the fairgrounds as a New York-themed theme park," she said Tuesday evening.

Mahoney made the announcement at the end of her 2015 "State of the County" address inside the Carrier Theater at the Civic Center in Syracuse.

Mahoney said she has asked Cuomo to fund:

The Empire IcePlex, a 50,000 square foot multi-use facility that could host traveling hockey games and college tournaments. She said it would open by July 2016.

An equestrian park with a year-round indoor arena with stabling for up to 1,000 horses.

An RV park and campground to support the state fair, the amphitheater at Onondaga Lake and the year-round events on the fairgrounds.

A New York-themed Main Street with restaurants and storefronts.

"We want to make CNY the show horse capital of the northeast," she said.

Mahoney also said she wants the new design of the state fair to be film-friendly. For example, if a film company wants to shoot a car crash scene, they call pull it off at the fair instead of Armory Square.

