Grange Fair facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Centre County Grange Fair |
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Fairgoers at the Grange Fair
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| Genre | County fair |
| Dates | August 18th-26th 2023 |
| Location(s) | Centre Hall, Pennsylvania |
| Years active | 1874–1916, 1919–1941, 1946–2019, 2021– |
| Website | Official website: http://www.grangefair.net |
The Grange Fair is a super fun yearly event in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania. It's a special kind of fair because lots of people come to camp right on the fairgrounds! This amazing tradition has been happening almost every year since 1874.
The fair usually takes place in the last full week of August. In 2015, the fair changed its schedule. It started a week earlier and lasted for nine days instead of seven. There's even a cool documentary film about the fair called The Grange Fair: An American Tradition, which won an Emmy award in 2005!
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What to See and Do
The Centre County Grange Fair is famous for letting people camp there, but it has tons of other exciting things too! You can find carnival rides, lots of yummy food, and even play bingo. There are also live concerts to enjoy.
As a county fair, it's a great place to see animals. You can watch animal shows and livestock contests. Kids involved in 4H also show off their projects. Plus, there are competitions for things like baked goods, canned foods, beautiful quilts, fresh vegetables, and awesome photography.
Camping at the Fair
One of the most unique things about the Grange Fair is the camping! Thousands of people stay right on the fairgrounds. You can camp in two main ways: in a tent or in an RV (Recreational Vehicle).
Tent Camping
Imagine a whole village of tents! About 1,000 large canvas tents are set up for fairgoers. These tents come in green, blue, or tan colors and have asphalt floors. They are about 14 feet by 14 feet and have an electrical outlet for your devices.
Since the tents don't have running water, there are public water spigots where you can get free drinking water. There are also public bathrooms located around the fairgrounds. Some tent campers can pay a bit extra to add an extension to their tent space, making it even bigger.
Getting a Tent Spot
Many families have been camping in the same tent spots for generations! It's a very popular tradition. Because so many people want to camp, there used to be a long waitlist. This waitlist was stopped after 30 years because it had over 500 families, and some had waited for 27 years!
Now, you can't just apply for a tent spot. The Fair Committee decides who gets an invitation to rent a tent or RV spot. However, if campers break the rules or don't use their spot for two fairs, they might lose it. Also, one person or couple can't rent both a tent and an RV spot.
RV Camping
Besides tents, there are also about 1,500 spots for RVs. Many of these spots have electric and plumbing hookups, which means you get electricity and water right at your RV. There are also some "overflow" spots available first-come, first-served, but these don't have hookups.
Moving In
Historically, tent campers would move in on Wednesday, and RV campers would start moving in as early as the Sunday before the fair officially opened on Thursday. Since 2015, the official move-in day for tent campers is Thursday, and the fair officially starts on Friday.
Tent campers are allowed to enter the grounds on Sunday before the fair to set up their tent extensions and bring in big furniture. However, neither RV nor tent campers are allowed to stay overnight in their RVs or tents until their official move-in day.
