Submitted by GRACE NOVOSEL
Editor’s Note: 2025 Centre County Grange Fair Queen Grace Novosel submitted this article to The Centre County Gazette.
CENTRE HALL — Spring has finally arrived — and thoughts and brainstorming begin within the community for people of all ages who are thinking ahead about what exhibits they might proudly show at the Centre County Grange Fair this year.
You don’t need to raise livestock or live on a farm to participate, because the Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair welcomes everyone with something to share, create, or celebrate. This year, the fair will showcase over 9,000 exhibits of the best of Centre County’s residents from Aug. 20-29. From children’s exhibits to fruits and vegetables to livestock, our fair offers so many opportunities for our community to get involved.
It’s hard to believe that we are in full swing of the spring planting season and it’s time to think about the Grange Fair, which is only four months away. With such a short time until the best days of summer are upon us, it’s time to plan what you could bring to showcase to our community.
The fair premium book, which lists the exhibit classes, rules and regulations that you need to be aware of before entering your prized exhibits, will be available after Mothe’s Day.
For the kids, the Y. P. of H. Building, also known as Grange Building Number Two, is full of exhibits showcasing our county’s youth. Hundreds of paintings, pictures, and hobby boxes fill the first half of the building. Artwork showcasing your child’s best painting from school could be entered, or they could fill a hobby box with special items they like to collect. It is truly magical to watch their face light up when they see their hard work awarded with a ribbon. The back half of the building is filled with FFA and 4-H projects.
Local FFA and 4-H kids have already started working with their animals, learning how to take care of them and preparing them for the livestock shows that take place during fair week. Centre County has over a dozen 4-H programs in Centre County that your child can get involved in; just reach out to the county extension office.
The building next to the Y. P. of H. building is Grange Building One. You will find all kinds of exhibits in this building. Did you know that if your apple pie, along with 3 other baking categories, earns a blue ribbon, your dessert goes straight through to be showcased at the PA Farm Show? Grange Building One also houses our local Grange exhibits as well as crafts and needlepoint.
Enjoy these longer days thinking of what you could exhibit because now is the time to plan, create, plant, and set your sights on that blue ribbon. As for me, I will crown the next Grange Fair Queen on Aug. 19, hours before I move to Tennessee for college.
While I won’t be here for the fair this year, it’s time for me to work within my community to help find the next Centre County Fair Queen. We’re looking for Centre County young ladies, ages 16-20, to be part of the queen program as contestants and ages 13-15 for the Junior Ambassador program.
Serving as the Centre County Grange Fair Queen has been one of the most rewarding and beneficial experiences of my life—not only because of the scholarship opportunities it has provided, but also because it pushed me outside my comfort zone, opened the door to once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and showed me that it’s a truly unique opportunity every young girl should consider pursuing. If you are interested in joining our program, attend an informational meeting at Sunset West in Pleasant Gap on May 11 at 6 p.m.
