This year marks the 130th year of the Centre County Grange Fair.
Originally conceived as a one day picnic in 1874, the Centre County Grange Fair has grown considerably over the years. Today, the fair will bring more than 10,000 people to Centre Hall.
The fair creates a place to gather, with rides, games, food, livestock competitions and live entertainment. With nearly one thousand 14-foot tents and 1,300 recreational vehicles, the fair continues to grow each year.
However, the focus has always remained on family. Some of the tents at the fair have been in the same family for generations. The current waiting list for tents has over 600 names on it, with an average of only two tents opening each year.
Realizing the special tradition of the Grange Fair, Penn State Public Broadcasting (PSPB) began filming a documentary on the event. The special is a 90-minute documentary that chronicles the lives of several people, preparing for the Grange Fair.
Beginning in the winter of 2002, director/producer Joe Myers and a crew of PSPB filmmakers spent time talking with and filming some of the men, women and children who work to prepare for the fair. Some people spend the entire year preparing for the fair.
Those people to be featured in this TV special include Joe Hartle, a dairy farmer and president of the Grange Fair Executive Board; Michelle Carbonara, a nine-year-old whose registered Holstein won the 2003 blue ribbon; Alicia McClellan, a teenager from Boalsburg, who lends a hand on a neighbor’s farm and Ruth Wolf, who at 86-years of age, only missed the fair once in her life.
“A major part of Penn State Public Broadcasting’s mission is to showcase the heritage of Pennsylvania and the Grange Fair is an important part of that heritage,” said PSPB station manager and co-executive producer, Tracy Vosburgh.
WPSX will air The Grange Fair: An American Tradition on Monday, August 9 at 8 p.m.
