The "Welcome to the Grange Fair" Story

Miles and miles of cars and RVs line the rim of the fairgrounds.

It was an ordinary day.  Tired and dirty from walking the fair- grounds at the Grange Fair in Centre County, PA.  The yearly farmer's fair began in 1874 when Leonard Rhone, a local resident, learned of the Grange movement and decided it would be a welcome addition for central Pennsylvania.  He organized nine smaller Granges and invited all of them to a picnic at Leech's Woods near Linden Hall, 38 miles south of Pittsburgh, PA.  

Riding the Tractor Tram.

The picnic became an annual event, switching between Mount Nittany, Old Fort and the Penns- lvania Agri- cultural College.  Farm families began bringing tents to stay overnight, so Mr. Rhone borrowed tents from the National Guard and began renting them to the families.  Eventually in 1890, a permanent home site for the picnic was purchased in Centre County and over the years it was increased in size until now it consists of more than 270 acres.  

Sidewalk music show.

And, I think we must have walked on most of the acres today.  Today the Fair- grounds and Grange Encamp -ment boasts 1000 tent spaces, 1,500 RV spaces, 300 concessions, amusement rides, livestock, an equine center, a playground and 7000 exhibit items.  Crowds in excess of 200,000 walk the grounds annually.

Displays of winning entries.

Carol and I traveled to State College earlier this morning to meet with our friends Jerry and Just Sue, who live in State College, and Jerry drove the extra distance to the Fairgrounds.  After finding a spot in the parking lot, we hopped the tractor Tram to the exhibition area.  Visited the photo and art contest display, the hobby display, the produce and baking display then headed to the livestock area where we walked through the steer barn, cow barn, swine barn, goat barn and rabbits and poultry barn.  Naturally my camera was in full action mode throughout our visit.  

Preparing for the big event.

Time now for a walk to the Equine facility to view the 6:00 PM 6-Horse Hitch Competition, my wife's favorite.  Found seats on the front row of the aluminum bleachers and waited for the competition to start.  The horses that are used for this competition are the huge draft horses such as the Clydesdale, Percheron, Belgian, Hackney and Delani breeds.   Six gleaming one-ton horses create a spectacle as they stomp into the arena as one, outfitted in patent leather and chrome harness pulling the historically restored freight wagons. We could literally feel the earth tremble as the massive hitches passed by!  Five entries contested the event with a $2,500 grand prize.  

My favorite, but it didn't win.

The hitches circle the arena a few times then reverse their direction and circle again.  They then are lined in a row facing the judges.  They are asked to back up and come forward again.  You can't imagine what a sight it is to see six tons of equine attempt to reverse themselves in unison.  Near perfection!  As the horses stand in position, waiting for the judges to make their decision as to which team is the best, some whinny, some shake their head, but all have their heads high, since they know they are performing for the crowd.  

Winning team of Percherons.

The winning team, a handsome group of Perch- erons pulling a gleaming purple wagon make a victory round after all other hitches have left the area.  What a sight as the crowd cheers and cameras snap away.  After the competition we headed to the opposite end of the campgrounds towards the food vendors for our evening meal.  

Permanent tent campsites at Grange Fair

We pass tent after tent filled with furniture, tables and even TVs.  These are home to patrons of the fair year after year.  These tents sit upon permanent bases that are rented yearly by families who spend one week a year in the late summer on vacation at the Grange Fair.  

The band "AM Radio" perform at the Grandstand.

Reminds me of going to scout or church camp as a young boy.  Finally we reach the food vendors and the other three choose a bowl of home-made soup, crackers and a drink while I opted for dessert right from the get-go.  Peach dumpling and a scoop of vanilla ice cream did the trick.  Final event of our visit to the Grange Fair was to the Grandstand stage to hear the opening band AM Radio and the main event of the evening, Mike Albert "The Ultimate Tribute."  We knew we were in for a great time when the announcer said, "Elvis is in the house!"  But, that's another story for another day.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.