‘Glamour Camping’ Tent at Grange Fair to Raise Money for Tree Preservation

There are always plenty of interesting tents at the Grange Fair, but there\’s one that stands out this year.

There\’s a cabinet handmade from recycled barn wood that\’s over 100 years old. There\’s a stone patio and finely crafted rocking chairs. There\’s a comfortable bed completed with royal red sheets and decorative pillows. There\’s even a chandelier.

It\’s the Grange Fair\’s first ever \”glamping\” tent, which is part of a trend that\’s currently in vogue called \”glamour camping.\”

\”It\’s pretty cool, and definitely very unique. It\’s certainly not your average tent,\” says fair goer Anna Yecina. \”I love the rustic feel, and the character of the wood.\”

But the tent isn\’t there to just stand around and look pretty, although it certainly does look pretty. It\’s part of a fundraising effort to help the Grange Fair save the many trees that populate its fairgrounds.

\”The trees are an important part of the atmosphere here, but lately they\’ve had to struggle with a lot of disease,\” says Ede Boake of Herman-Boake Auctioneering. \”So many people come to the fair and enjoy the grace and beauty of this area, and we want to help keep it that way.\”

Photo by Michael Martin Garrett/StateCollege.com

3WZ radio station promotions director Cathy Brown came up with the idea for a \”glamping\” tent earlier this year and pitched the idea to the Grange Fair leadership, who immediately saw its potential. Each night of the fair, the tent gets rented out to a different family, hotel style. Then the sheets get changed, everything gets put back in place, and a new family comes in the next night for a stay in the fair\’s most glamorous tent.

The tent was designed and built by the Bellefotne-based Melanson Design company, and all the furniture was donated by vendors who set up shop at the fair. The best part? At the end of the fair, on Saturday Aug.29, everything in the tent will be auctioned off to benefit the Grange Fair tree fund to help ensure a glamorous fairground for years to come.

\”One of the items being auctioned off is actually the first night\’s stay in the glamping tent next year,\” Brown says. \”That\’ll be perfect for someone who\’s never camped out here at the fair before, because we all know how long the waiting lists are.\”

Throughout the course of the fair, Brown is also taking ideas for the theme of next year\’s tent. This year the theme was \’rustic,\’ and so far she\’s gotten all kinds of interesting ptiches for next year, such as \’victorian\’ and \’industrial.\’

\”We want to raise as much money as we can for the fair as possible,\” Boake says. \”They\’ve had to cut down some 20 trees recently, and we\’re excited to play a part in helping them out.