Schuylkill County Fair will have a gate admission of $5 again this year making the Fair affordable to all. That five dollars includes: national entertainment on the M&T Stage, games, contests, exhibits, competitions, programs, demonstrations, hands on activities, and free parking. Gate admission price for kids 12 and under are free.
Returning to the six-day fair will be Goodtime Amusements LLC of Hellertown. They are a family run business, which provides amusement services to various non-profit organizations. Operating solely in the eastern portion of Pennsylvania. Goodtime provides their sponsors with up to 20 rides along with 15 food and game concessions. Ride bands to ride the rides will be available at a $15.00 charge to ride all day Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Tuesday and Saturday ride bands will be $20.00 for all day with $10.00 for a 1-5PM ride special.
Please do note that the gate admission does not include food, beverages, and carnival games. With the affordable to all $5.00 admission, the objective is to save money for families with children. Private attractions are not included in with admission price like petting zoo, truck pulls and BMX Show.
That five dollars will get you lots of good nightly entertainment on the M&T Stage. Featured Monday on the M& T Bank Stage will be performing at 8 PM Schuylkill ShowStoppers. The royal crowning of the fair queen will also be
on this stage just prior to Schuylkill ShowStoppers performance at 7PM. Tuesday at 7 & 9 PM Crazy Hearts, a local country band out of the Lehigh Valley sponsored by Red Lion Café will take the stage. Wednesday at 7 & 9 PM Jesse Wade Gang will be performing the country tunes that we all love and are sponsored by L & L Excavating Inc. Thursday at 7 & 9 PM Elvis returns performed by Shawn Klush on the M & T Bank Stage. Friday is Little Texas with Schuylkill County’s own Chard Reinert as the special guest performance. Friday evening’s entertainment is sponsored by Schaeffer’s Harley Davidson/ Motor Sports. Saturday at 6 p.m. Schuylkill County Idols and 7 p.m. Rusty Foulke will appear as special guest for Saturday’s headliner. Saturday’s headliner is none other than David Cassidy in Concert. Schuylkill Visitors Bureau is sponsoring the evening performance.
Daily special attractions at the agricultural fair include Torres Family Circus (amphitheater) at 6 & 8 PM. Tuesday at 2PM and Saturday 4 PM are additional performance times. Torres Family Circus is a comedy and thrill act with a motorcycle globe act, aerial act, juggling, hula hoop and much more. New this year as we continue to grow good things under the Weston Pavilion you will find Mrs. U’s Zoo RevUe. Pam Ulicny from the Tri-Vally area will be educating all in a fun and informal way about the many creatures she has accumulated over the course of time through her teaching science in Tri-valley School. Peggy Hentz of Red Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center will be under the Weston Pavilion at 6:30 PM on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of fair week engaging all about the animals that she rehabilitates. Schuylkill Talent Showcase on the Schaeffer’s Harley Davidson/Motor Sports Stage will perform with different artists at 5:30 & & 6:30 daily. Those artist to be performing are: - Mon. LA Dance Theatre (http://la-dancetheatre.com/); Tue. Vivian’s Dance Studio (570.385.2121); Wed. Xtreme Fitness Saint Clair (Facebook:Xtreme Fitness); Thur. The Minor Notes Chorale (www.minornotes.org) Fri & Sat. Tamara Wapinsky Studio(www.wapinskyvoicelessons.com ). Porcupine Pat can be found in the Shadle Nature Center sponsored by Schuylkill County Conservation District, Monday thru Friday at 5 PM; Tuesday at 1 PM, and Saturday at 4 PM. Big Owl will be using the Bear Creek Island to entertain children of all ages with Indian stories. Farming for a Day (Ag-Tainment sponsored by the Dunn Family is a daily attraction. The Kids Tent will be in operation daily with natural and agricultural science based crafts operated by The Arts Barn Education Center. Chain saw artist Todd Gladfelter (upper midway). This and so many more engaging activities and entertainment can be found throughout the fairgrounds.
One of the areas the Fair that has “good things growing” is at the Fair’s Track. Last year the fair expanded the track surface and area around the track to support the Truck Pulling Sport. You wouldn’t want to miss their truck pulls at the Ag Museum and track area. This is a separate admission charge of $5.00. Monday local guys have the opportunity to pull with both Diesel and Gas engines. The widening of the track allows for the Side by Side Drag Racing that is also slated for Monday evening. You don’t want to blink your eyes because these trucks go so fast that if you do blink you will miss them speeding towards the finish line. Truck Pulls on Tuesday will feature Lucas Oil / East Coast National Pull, LLC; 466 Hot Farm Tractors; Limited Pro Stock Semi's; East Coast Diesel - Pro Stock Diesel FWD Trucks. Weigh-in at 4 p.m. and pulls start at 7 p.m. The Antique Tractor Pull will be on Saturday, August 6 at 1 p.m. with registration for the tractor pulls starting at 11 AM. Pulling is not limited to the semi-professionals as on Wednesday evening local celebrities will take the track in ever popular Celebrity Tractor Pull. More growth on the Track will occur on Thursday evening as the track will be used for a BMX Show by Dialed BMX Bicycle Stunt Show. It is sure to be another crowd pleaser with three riders doing bicycle stunt tricks. In a short number of years the track has grown from a one event venue to a 5 day operational venue exciting Fair goer’s.
Kid’s arts and crafts are growing with the partnership between the Fair and The Arts Barn. The Arts Barn Education Center will encouraging kids to make agricultural and nature science related crafts in the kid’s tent daily. The Arts Barn Education Center has taken on a very “good growing” activity for the young to participate in and see how they grow from year to year. All children are being asked to trace their hand on a large plastic banner. Then when the child returns to the Fair in subsequent years, they are asked to trace their hand again and again to see how they have grown over the years.
There are a number of new cooking contests to enter this year as the Fair continues to grow. Boilo, ethnic cooking contest, cooking with wine and Schuylkill Grown being popular contest to repeat themselves again this year will have some competition with the new cooking contests. New cooking contests to evolve this year are “Baking with Brew” and Yueng Wings. All of these contest have grown out of our Schuylkill County diversity. Prizes awards will be given for first, second and third prize. For complete rules, and more information on the numerous food contests call 570-527-0294 or email schuylkillfair@gmail.com . You can also find more information about these contests on our web site at www.schuylkillfair.com/exhibits/ under the info tab at exhibits.
See competitive exhibits of handiwork, produce, and animals (sheep, pigs, steers, goats, and rabbits). There have been a number of new competitive exhibit class added to the premium book this year. If you are handy or creatively inclined then look in the fair premium book. For the youth we have grown to include book marks, placemats and a coloring page found in the premium book to be entered in the fair. There are a number of new varieties of peaches, nectarines and grapes growing for exhibit. Into growing flowers and arranging them artistically, then you might want to look at the Artistic Arrangement. Artistic Arrangement exhibits focus on a theme center around the person as they grow from 1st birthday to the 16th birthday and 50th birthday. Want to recycle or upcycle something into something wearable or useful then there are classes for that. There are class for Jazzy Jar and Duct Tape. The traditional baking contest can be found at their year’s fair like the PA Preferred Chocolate Cake for the adults and then the bars or cookies for the youth. There is the Blue Ribbon Apple Pie contest as well as the Incredible Angel Food Cake contest. Christmas trees were brought back last year as a competitive exhibit. We are hoping for more participation this year as Schuylkill County is the number one producer of Christmas trees in the state. Into craft brewing your own brew then consider the classes found in the appropriately numbered Dept. 21 for wine and beer exhibits. Creatively inclined then look at the Quilt Block class. From greeting cards to honey combs the Schuylkill County Fair has almost every class imaginable. So you will want to check out the fair’s premium book for all the competitive exhibits. If you would like a Premium Book please download it at www.schuylkillfair.com
There will be lots of fair foods, games, programs, activities, contests, commercial exhibits, plus so much more! Why? Because “We have good things growing” at the Schuylkill County Fair. Come see how the Fair has grown.
No pets or coolers allowed on the fairgrounds. Please also note that there are designated smoking areas. Shirts and shoes are required.
Directions to Schuylkill County Fair: just 40 minutes from Harrisburg or Allentown; nestled in the Blue Mountains; from I-78 Exit 19, Rt. 183 North to Rt. 895 East – 1.5 miles to fair; or from I-81 North Exit 124A, Rt. 61 South of Rt. 183 South to Rt. 895 East; or from Rt. 309 to Rt. 895 West to Auburn – 7 miles to fair. For a GPS put in: 2270 Fair Road, Schuylkill Haven, PA 17972
For additional general information on the 33st annual Schuylkill County Fair please visit the website at www.schuylkillfair.com or email schuylkillfair@gmail.com call 570-739-2627 or week of fair call 570-754-3247. In addition to their website you may use Facebook, Twitter.
Mark your calendar for the 33st annual Schuylkill County Fair, August 1st thru 6th because it is only a few weeks away from “good things growing!” Bring the whole family!