Washington County Fair returns with old traditions and new fun
Courtesy of Tom Pawlesh
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum is offering $3 trolley rides all eight days of the fair. The trolley shuttles fairgoers between the park ‘n ride at 2800 North Main Street and the newly renovated fairgrounds trolley platform.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Lillian Johnson, 9, helps her aunt, Diane Bissett, set up in the 4-H Junior Exhibits barn last week. While Bissett has served as a 4-H leader for 42 years, this is Johnson’s first year showing at the county fair. Johnson entered a fairy garden and a painting into the exhibition and will show a dairy calf, as well.
The Harry Hank Show Arena received a face-lift about five years ago, said Wayne Hunnell, fair secretary. The wooden siding faded to a metal color which, paired with the siding's texture, gives the arena an industrial feel.
Sunlight glints off the new stainless-steel pipes in the milking parlor. The new pipes are one of several upgrades the Washington County fairgrounds received this year, thanks to the generous donations of the community, said fair secretary Wayne Hunnell.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
A new gazebo is nestled in the garden beside the 4-H Junior Exhibits barn, across from the fair offices. The gazebo was donated by the Marchezak family in memory of John and Dorothy.
John the Greek is a staple at the Washington County Fair. Fair secretary Wayne Hunnell said fairgoers can also enjoy offerings from local businesses like Firehouse Subs, Hogfather's and Bentleyville Pizza.
A whiff of hay, freshly squeezed lemonade and pets on parade are memories made at the county fair, and after a one-year hiatus due to the global pandemic, the Washington County Fair returns Saturday for its annual run.
“It’s good to get back into it, to be able to have a fair again this year,” said Wayne Hunnell, fair secretary.
“We had a rough year. The generosity of (our) sponsors, we really have to give a lot of thanks.”
Among the things Hunnell is thankful for: the brand-new entrance at which memory-making begins.
With funding from the fair’s presenting sponsor EQT, the fair board approved an update to the fair entrance. Visitors are greeted by tall stone walls and an impressive entryway. Other aesthetic improvements include a billboard-sized digital events board, building updates and a new fair logo.
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum invites fairgoers to arrive in old-fashioned style aboard a trolley. The museum is offering $3 trolley shuttle services from the Eaton parking lot on North Main Street in Washington to the fairgrounds. Shuttle services are available all eight days of the fair, and riders are dropped off at the new trolley platform by the fair entrance.
The fairgrounds aren’t the only new things visitors will see at this year’s fair: Dominguez Attractions makes its debut with a circus show.
“They were actually on America’s Got Talent a few years ago,” said Hunnell. “They have numerous acts: a couple of dogs that do tricks, they have a big ball steel cage they drive motorcycles in. They’ll be here all eight days.”
MAGIC 4U will also be entertaining crowds with an agriculture-themed magic show, and Hunnell said all the usual fun – car derbies, harness racing and the annual school bus derby on Wednesday night (Aug. 18) – is back.
Back, too, is live music, something that was missed during last year’s pandemic.
“The music here this year is going to be more local,” said Hunnell. “We did that both from a cost standpoint, but also, they weren’t able to perform (last year) either.”
Live music starts Sunday evening when Abby Abbondanza from The Hillbilly Way takes the grandstand stage at 7 p.m.
Local favorite Aaron Margaria returns to the show tent Aug. 15, and fairgoers can catch the Hobbs Sisters and Six Gun Sally there later in the week.
History is on display this year: The Washington County History & Landmarks Foundation will highlight historic barns at the John White House from noon to 9 p.m. daily. Fairgoers can admire a large panel featuring Amos Knestrick and the four barns he built in the 1880s, and the foundation is seeking information about three dozen local barns portrayed on a three-panel display.
Last year, the fair held a modified livestock market sale. This year, the livestock market and 4-H projects and animals are back in full. Though the pandemic affected 4-H participation, Shelia Hackinson, 4-H youth development educator, said club members are eager to return to the fair.
“People are excited just to be able to do something again,” said Hackinson. “(The kids) haven’t seen each other in quite a while. They want to get back to seeing their friends. That’s what the county fair is about: having fun and seeing your friends.”
Seeing your friends and indulging your tastebuds; according to a recent survey, Hunnell said, the No. 1 reason visitors attend the fair is for the food.
“There’s something for everyone,” said Hunnell.
He was talking about the food, but from tractor pulls to cheerleading expos, games to rides and everything in between, there is something for everyone at the Washington County Fair.
“That year off had a real effect on us. We’re all happy to be able to have the fair, but it has taken some additional thought, planning, work,” said Hunnell.
He added: “I think it’s going to be a great eight days. We look forward to everyone attending.”
The Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency and Washington County Fair will host a media day Tuesday to reveal facility enhancements, review community grants and county support, and provide an update on the final event schedule and recognition of community and sponsorship partners.