As the sun beats down and the sweat pours onto their soaked garments as Carbon County Fair organizers work to set up for their beloved event, they hear the same question over and over again.

“Is this the last year on the fairgrounds?,” Malinda Fox, fair president, responded when asked what continues to make the rounds in advance of the 27th annual fair that spans Monday through Saturday.

Whether this will mark the last year for the fair at its current location at the fairgrounds at 3285 Little Gap Road in Palmerton remains to be seen, according to Fox.

“That’s still up in the air,” Fox said. “The wheels are turning.”

Fox said they’re still moving forward with their proposed plans to eventually relocate the fair on a 41-acre plot of land that will be twice as big at its current location.

“We secured both access points for the fairgrounds, so we are now moving forward for the permits,” she said. “It’s just pretty much with the township, getting our variances and permits.”

The Carbon County Fair purchased the property adjacent to 2985 Little Gap Road in Palmerton in 2012 “with the hopes of having a forever home.”

Once completed the fair will have two separate entrances, along with two separate parking lots, and a long roadway connecting both parking lots.

The property is just down the road from its current site on Little Gap Road.

Fox said that for many years, the fair has been incredibly grateful to lease its space from Blue Mountain.

She added the move will result in a permanent home, with the ability to host events all year long.

Fox said there will be more space for vendors, rides, food, entertainment and more.

She said the fair will still take place the same week as it always has, noting that tradition matters.

Fox noted that after many years, it has cleared its largest hurdle in meeting the requirements set forth by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

As a result, she said they are hopeful that as their engineer leads them through the permits process of Lower Towamensing Township, that they could be in their permanent home by 2027.