Hi everyone! Now that we have all of the freshmen students situated and comfortable in their new environment here at PSU and the town and residents of State College are in full swing for the Fall in Happy Valley, this past week has allowed one of the most impressive family traditions to take place. The Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair, or as we fondly refer to it as, The Grange Fair. (because that other title is quite a mouthful!!) Speaking of mouthfuls, the food at this fair… actually, let me get back to this, first- the origins of this fair, one of Centre Regions most anticipated events.
This year marked the 136th addition of The Grange Fair. There were close to 1,000 tents, and approximately 1,500 RV’s set up for the nine day fair. The fair provides the tents and after speaking to several of the old timers here at the fair this year, they let me know that there is a 25 year waiting list for one of these tents!! The Grange Fair is the only fair in the country with this many tents and RV’s! The Fair also has over 7,000 exhibit items and with the amusement rides and other events to participate or observe, it is a great way to send off the Summer.
Next year marks the 200th anniversary of the nations first agricultural fair which is held in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Like the original Ag fair, with the first Grange Fair, little has change from then to now as this fair prides itself on the traditions of the past. There are so many events to watch and experience as well as participate in. For example, Horse shoe trows, tractor pulling, baking contests (pies being my favorite!), livestock judging, I could go on and on. Back to the pies… one of my favorite indulgences. This year at the fair, I experienced one of the best pies I have ever had. It was what they were calling a fired dessert… the crust was fried and the fruit in the pie melted in my mouth. 51 weeks of the year I consider myself a pretty healthy eater, making exceptions only for my cookie of the month contest, but this week at the fair is the one week where I go nuts! (Literally, with the delicious roasted almonds to the fried dessert to Dippin’ Dots ice cream that my wife and daughters love) Every year I ask the vendors for their best recommendations and dive in from there.
Besides the food, it is also such a treat to attend some of the entertainment. The Grange Fair does an incredible job booking some of the most up and coming country artists. For example, in 1977 a young man by the name of Kenny Chesney performed here. In 1996, Garth Brooks was here, in 2000 we saw Brad Paisley and a couple years after that Miranda Lambert visited and performed here as well. I have to say that even though I am not a huge Country music fan, it is always fun to embrace the traditions that the fair offers.
I recently read the book Purebred and Homegrown:America’s County Fairs and decided to send the authors a letter (as a mailman, I felt most qualified to send them a letter) inviting them to attend the Grange Fair in the near future. Hopefully they will be in attendance some year soon!
Another great addition to this year’s fair has been the weather. Fantastic days and lovely nights have made this years festivities even more enjoyable. As I have previously mentions, the people that are fortunate to be assigned a tent live in these for the entirety of the fair so the good weather helps for them!
Above all, my favorite aspect of the Grange Fair is the rich in tradition, family based fun. For me, it is always a great to see old friends and catch up as well as meet new neighbors and discuss everything important to our Centre Region. Most talked about, this upcoming weekend’s football matchup against Youngstown State.
Let’s Go State!
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