Grange Fair Opens with Plenty to See and Do

A community within a community was born this week as the 142nd edition of the Centre County Grange Fair opened in Centre Hall.

The fair officially kicks off on Friday, Aug. 18, however, hundreds of tenters and campers moved in days earlier, anxiously awaiting the opening of the event. Pre-fair events held earlier this week included the fair queen coronation ceremony, the junior rabbit show and registration of exhibits.

Billed as an exhibition fair, the Grange Fair is surely different than other Pennsylvania fairs because of the ‘encampments.’ The fair board owns 1,000 tents, and couple that with 1,500 spots for RV parking, and it becomes a community within a community. These spots are ‘owned’ by families who continue to pass their slots down through their families.

Annually, more than 200,000 people attend the event.

Those attending the fair should bring their appetites. There are more than 60 food and beverage vendors, providing everything from hot dogs to Chinese fare. The fair also features numerous exhibits, some sale items and some competition exhibits featuring talented artists, craftsmen, cooks and bakers.

There are also several live entertainment events scheduled both at the Southside Stage and the Grandstand throughout the week. Local bands and musical talent will predominately be on the Southside Stage, while the headlining acts will perform at the Grandstand. All live performances are included in the cost of the daily admission to the fair.

Headlining acts include:

■ Jana Kramer, Friday, Aug. 19, 8 p.m. — Many will recognize Kramer as Alex Dupree from the television series ‘One Tree Hill’; however, she also has a voice. She earned a Top New Female Artist Award from the Academy of Country Music and had a Billboard Hot Country hit with ‘I Got the Boy.’

■ Adam Yarger, Saturday, Aug. 20, 8 p.m. — Yarger is a budding star musician using an acoustic tour to release his second EP.

■ James Wesley, Sunday, Aug. 21, 3 p.m. — Wesley brings country music to the stage and sings about the rural lifestyle.

■ William Michael Morgan, Monday, Aug. 22, 8 p.m. — Morgan uses a silky smooth voice to bring an entertaining country show to the fair.

■ Matt Maher, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 8 p.m. — Maher is a soulful worship leader and two-time Grammy nominee.

■ Stayin’ Alive, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 8 p.m. — This full-band tribute honors the musical history of The Bee Gees, matching the high harmonies and vibrant beats that have kept these hits ‘stayin’ alive’ for four decades.

■ Parmalee, Thursday, Aug. 25, 8 p.m. — The Parmalee boys pull early influences from bluegrass, blues, old-school country and southern rock into a distinctive Nashville sound.

The Grange Fair took root in 1874 when Leonard Rhone urged his Progress Grange to join their sister subordinate Granges in having a picnic to which they would invite their neighbors and introduced the Grange Organization and the benefits of membership in such a fraternity. It has now turned into a family tradition with many campers returning generation after generation.