Grange Fair is back in Centre Hall. Your 2023 guide to parking, admission & entertainment
The Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair is back this week to help wrap up an eventful summer in Happy Valley.
The annual festival is now just a year away from celebrating its 150th anniversary. The Grange Fair’s 149th rendition will stretch from Aug. 18 to 26 and feature free live entertainment, rides, games and vendors that cater to the whole family.
Whether you’re a Grange Fair veteran or a newbie interested in stopping by, here’s what you need to know about this year’s festival.
Parking & directions
Each year, the Grange Fair welcomes thousands of campers who stay in roughly 1,000 tents and about 1,500 RVs, plus many who visit for the day, according to the festival’s website. You’d be wise to give yourself some extra time to get to Centre Hall.
According to the Grange Fair website, drivers should enter the fairgrounds through Gate 1 (Potter Street), Gate 3 (off of state Route 144) or Gate 4 (Homan Lane off of state Route 45). To find the lots on your devices, use the following GPS address: 169 Homan Lane, Centre Hall, PA 16828.
Grange Fair parking starts at $7 per day, while weekly passes are available for $25. Parking is free Aug 23.
More dedicated Grange Fair fans can camp at the Grange Park, too. The fair’s overflow camping area will open at 1 p.m. Thursday and remain open between 9 a.m. and.6 p.m. throughout the nine-day fair.
Parking at the Grange Fair’s overflow camping area costs $40 per night. The festival’s website cautions the “primitive” spaces do not offer access to water or electricity, though generator use is permitted until midnight each day.
For more information about overnight camping, contact fair organizers by calling 814-380-1893.
Grange Fair admission & wristbands
Once you’ve made it to the fairgrounds, you’ll need to pay an admission fee to experience this year’s performances, playgrounds, exhibits and more.
Daily admission costs $8, while weekly admission passes are available for $25. Children 11 years old and younger receive free admission.
As in years past, Bartlebaugh Amusements and Garbrick Amusements will each operate two separate areas hosting rides and attractions. Admission for each area requires the daily purchase of a separate $25 wristband, though a few discounts are available throughout the Grange Fair’s duration.
According to this year’s brochure, the Grange Fair will offer the following admission and wristband discounts:
50% off Garbrick Amusements wristbands Sunday, Aug. 20 to recognize Military Appreciation Day. The discount is available for service members, veterans and their families.
Youth and high school-aged attendees receive free festival admission until 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21.
College students with valid ID cards receive 50% off admission and amusement wristbands Tuesday, Aug. 22. Separately, Garbrick Amusements will throw in a free t-shirt with the purchase of a wristband.
On top of free parking, Wednesday, Aug. 22 brings $20 Bartlebaugh Amusements wristbands and a buy-on-get-one-free deal for Garbrick Amusements’ wristbands.
Guests ages 62 and older receive free admission Thursday, Aug. 24. Bartlebaugh Amusements will offer a buy-one-get-one-free deal for its wristbands, while Garbrick Amusements will sell its own passes for $10 each.
Guests can receive $2 off their Gabrick Amusements wristbands with a canned food donation.
Entertainment
Unlike amusement rides and attractions, Grange Fair entertainment is included with the price of admission.
Each festival’s crown jewel is arguably its full slate of grandstand acts, which will perform headlining shows nightly throughout the fair’s duration. Each concert is slated for 8 p.m.
Country and gospel vocal quarter The Oak Ridge Boys will kick off this year’s grandstand acts Friday. Other grandstand entertainers include former “America’s Got Talent” finalist Drake Milligan, 90s country band Little Texas, former “American Idol” contestants Alex Miller and HunterGirl and a tribute band for Country Music Hall of Fame’s The Statler Brothers.
The nine-day fair will also feature plenty of hands-on exhibits and performances, including motorsports shows, corn hole tournaments, 5K runs and talent shows, plus plenty of animal-centric activities at Grange Park’s Equine Center. This year’s all-day motorsports exhibition and car show is scheduled for Aug. 23.
No Grange Fair would be complete without the crowning of the Centre County Grange Fair queen. This year’s honoree will receive her crown before the festival begins with a ceremony scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Southside Stage.
Check out the Grange Fair’s daily schedules for a closer look at this year’s entertainment offerings.
Food & drink
No matter when you visit the Grange Fair, you’ll find plenty to eat and drink. Traditional festival fare like french fries and milkshakes are available in addition to specialty items offered by local vendors, including apple dumplings and sticky buns.
Here’s a full look at the festival’s concessions and vendors directory:
How did the festival begin?
Now just one year away from a major milestone, the Grange Fair is entering its 149th year entertaining Centre County families. The event celebrates local agriculture and vendors while promoting summer fun and providing an end-of-summer boost for the region’s economy.
According to the Centre County Historical Society, the first fair took place in September 1874 when roughly 3,000 people chowed down in Centre Hall during what was then called the “Granger’s Pic-nik.” The event moved to a 26-acre site in Grange Park in 1890 and would later grow to the 264-acre park we know today, bringing along a community staple that would weather natural disasters, economic downturns and even World War II in the following decades.
Opinion: Full of ‘doers,’ Grange is much more than a fair
The fair ultimately began as a local extension of the national Grange mission, which formed in 1867 as a farmers’ association that sought to sponsor social activities, connect with supplies and rebuild after the American Civil War. Eleven Granges still operate in Centre County today to continue advocating for farmers and serving their communities.
For more information and a daily schedule of events, visit grangefair.com.
