Agriculture is the number one industry in Pennsylvania.

“And it is a large part of Schuylkill County,” said Paul Kennedy, president of the Schuylkill County Fair.

Kennedy navigated a golf cart around the Schuylkill County Fairgrounds in Summit Station just minutes after gates opened to the public Monday afternoon. As he navigated a midway, a parade of tractors approached.

“Most folks don’t have the opportunity to see agriculture every day, but they can see it here,” he said as he eyed the long line.

The fair, which runs through Saturday, features tractor parades, tractor pulls, livestock, educational programs, along with food, games, crafts and exhibits.

It is in its 40th year and is celebrating the anniversary with the theme, “Forty Years of Growing the Future.”

“It really is a legacy,” Kennedy said.

Events and displays

Monday was “Pulling Day” and the evening was capped off by a 4-by-4 diesel and gas truck pull. An immense crowd packed the bleachers and Kennedy expected the same at tractor pulls scheduled for today, Wednesday and Saturday.

“Up here, it’s growing and growing and growing,” Kennedy said of the tractor pull track. “When it started, there were antique tractors, and they pulled at 2.5 to 3 miles per hours. About 10 years ago, when I became president, they said they wanted to pull something bigger.”

So work got underway at the track, and more and more participants brought newer and bigger equipment. The pulls, he said, continue to be one of the fair’s biggest attractions.

Livestock shows are also popular, and the 2023 roster is the largest to date.

“We have over 600 animals and record numbers of all species,” Kennedy said. Among them are goats, horses, cows, lambs, hogs, rabbits, alpaca and guinea pigs.

The livestock quarters are near a building filled with arts and crafts from county residents. There are quilts, photos, ceramics, woodworks and floral displays.

Judges reviewed the entrants over the weekend, and awarded best of show and top place ribbons to winners.

Vegetables were also judged, but Kennedy said this year didn’t see as many entrants.

It wasn’t a lack of interest, he explained, but rather the result of the springtime’s roller coaster ride of weather. Rainfall was slim, a frost arrived in late May and a hailstorm pounded some areas, he explained.

Fair food

While that exhibit was light, there were plenty of vendors and food stands.

Mease Meats of Pine Grove offered roast pit beef sandwiches, just as it had last year, said an owner, Tabitha Mease.

“This year we added chicken platters for those who don’t want to eat beef,” she said.

A trial run on Saturday during fair set up saw the stand run out of both the beef and chicken.

“It was a hot day so people were ordering food to go. They didn’t want to cook,” Mease explained.

Mease’s Meats is in its second year at the fair, just as another Schuylkill County vendor - La Casita de Familia - is.

“We have authentic Mexican and Tex-Mex foods,” said Flor Gomez, who owns the Shenandoah-based business with her husband, Educ Zamudio. “It is all made to order.”

Gomez’s stand also brought a host of colorful beverages, everything from the vibrant red of Jamaican hibiscus to the muted yellow of pineapple. They’re a hit on hot days, and folks like to mix them, she said.

“We give free samples but a lot of people like mixing strawberry and banana,” she said.

La Casita de Familia often hits the roads for fairs.

“We were here last year and we really enjoyed it. I really like that this fair is humble and family oriented,” said Gomez, whose children help with the stand. “We have been to other fairs and we like them but this one is my favorite.”

Food vendors also had funnel cakes, ice cream, hot dogs, hamburgers, cheesesteaks - and even homemade soups.

Barb Heimbach traveled from Pine Grove to help with her friend’s business, The Farm Stand.

“She has chicken corn noodle, vegetable soup and others,” she said.

Heimbach took a break from the stand to watch contestants vie for the titles of fair queen and princess. This year offered a people’s choice award as well.

Rides

As the contest got underway, a Ferris wheel and other rides were fired up.

Across the way, Harold and Sandra Sunday of Hamburg sat under the shade of a pavilion with two antique engines.

Harold began collecting the machines after expressing an interest in them as a young child.

“My grandpop had one like this and he used it to power a washing machine,” Harold said of a 1920s model. “We’d come outside and watch it.”

Sandra said the engines were also used to run other small equipment.

A variety of handmade crafts, along with T-shirts, fair souvenirs and other items were for sale. Folks could also get information from state agencies like the Pennsylvania Game Commission or nonprofits like Vietnam Veterans Post 29.

Tuesday is “Kids’ Day” and gates opened at 11 a.m. A touch-a-truck runs until 2 p.m., and kids’ contests will be held every half-hour. The Schuylkill Ballet Theater performs at 1 p.m. followed by a tractor parade at 1:30 p.m. Rounding out the evening is a pedal tractor pull, 5:30 p.m.; Ways of Wildlife with Porcupine Pat, 6 p.m.; performances by Sapphire, 7 and 9 p.m.; and East Coast Pro Pulling, 7 p.m.

There is an admission fee. Parking is free. For more information, visit www.schuylkillfair.com or call 570-754-3247.