We were pleased to attend the 150th annual Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair this week. The historic affair started in 1874 as an extension of the National Grange to improve the economic wellbeing of farmers, a group particularly hard hit by the aftermath of the Civil War and economic downturn.
It was lovely. It was not stinking hot, nor humid, nor rainy, nor muddy, nor particularly crowded. And! It was Seniors Day, so our admission was gratefully free!
But it was not our first visit. In 1976, the singing/touring group I was a part of, Re-Creation, performed on the Grange Stage with a patriotic afternoon show in our red-white-and-blues, and in the evening, in our gowns and leisure suits with our Christian program. What I remember most was that it was quite cold that evening: we guys buttoned up our lime green leisure suits right to the neck, covering up our lusciously large, pointy-lapelled shirts with the large green triangles on them. What you can’t see from this image is our two-toned green vinyl shoes!
For comparison, here’s a pic of the same stage this week with the famous Van-Dells performing in their farewell tour. As you can see, the little shed situated right on the stage deck is gone, and they’ve built a full-sized grandstand. The only thing’s the same, even though you can’t see it, is the mountain in the distance.
Anyway, we enjoyed viewing the competitive crafts, canned goods, fresh vegetables, prize-winning boxes of hay, and livestock – even the light farm tractor pulls. You can’t see those just anywhere anymore. Here are a few views of the wares and encampment. Sorry no animal pics this time, although we did visit the beef and dairy cows, goats, rabbits, chickens, sheep, and swine stalls.
