Grange Fair announces grandstand performers for 2021

CENTRE HALL — The Centre County Grange Fair and Encampment has announced its grandstand headliners for 2021.

The annual fair, which is scheduled to be held Aug. 20-28 — after missing last year due to the coronavirus pandemic — announced the headliners on March 19, the day after another Centre County tradition, the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts, canceled in-person events for the second year in a row.

Headliners include Eddie Montgomery (Aug. 20), Popstar Drive (Aug. 21), Gabby Barrett (Aug. 23), The Texas Tenors (Aug. 24), We Are Messengers (Aug. 25), Resurrection – A Journey Tribute (Aug. 26), Drew Parker (Aug.

27) and Mac Powell (Aug. 28).

The announcement is just the latest step toward bringing back the popular fair in 2021.

A March 19 Grange Fair Facebook post thanked participants who were involved in a survey that was sent out to fair tenters, RVers and concessionaires. It said, “We received an overwhelmingly positive response from more that 75 percent of our fair families. We are looking forward to seeing you at the 2021 Grange Fair.”

This year’s event will mark the 147th edition of the Centre County tradition that is known far and wide as the only remaining tenting fair in the country. At this tenting fair, families move in to “a city within a town” to camp for the week at Grange Fair Park. No update on the fair’s website discussed what safety measures would be in place due to the pandemic. The Grange Fair did not respond to a call from The Gazette before press time.

Last May 21, the fair announced the 2020 fair would be canceled due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.

On March 23 of this year, the fair posted on Facebook: “2021 Tent and RV applications will be mailed after April 15. People who received an application last year will receive a new one for this year. Any rent money that was sent in for 2020 will be applied to this year’s fair.”