- The 171st Allentown Fair held its opening ceremonies on Wednesday on the fairgrounds
- The fair will be held through Monday, Sept. 4
- The fair benefits the Lehigh County Agricultural Society
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Forty years ago, something at the Allentown Fair brought Roger Concord to his knees.
More specifically, one knee.
As he and his wife, Merle, walked about the opening day of the fair late Wednesday afternoon, the 65-year-old Nazareth couple did not do so aimlessly. They zeroed in on a location in the shadow of the massive grandstand and paused.
Was it the exact spot from decades ago? Well, they can’t swear to it. But it was close enough to rekindle a cherished memory.
“He proposed to me right here,” Merle said, with a grin. “That’s why the fair is so special to us. Maybe more than lots of other people."
“We come to this spot, right around here, every year and he asks me if I’d marry him again. I always say yes. But each time, I make him wait a little bit longer for my answer. Gotta keep him guessing.”
Tilting his head to one side and cracking a smile, Roger gazed at his bride of 38 years.
“Look at me,” he said. “You think she’s gonna say no. I’m a catch.”
Merle nodded in agreement.
“This was the start of a wonderful life with him,” she said. “And it started right here.”
For the 171st time, the Allentown Fair also brought visitors to their knees. A variety of mouth-watering foods that could snap your tongue off its roller. Thirst-quenching drinks. Sweet treats. Pig races. Trampoline acts. High-wire acts. Rides. Exhibits. Attractions. A concert with REO Speedwagon and Styx. Glenn Miller serenading folks with his accordion while walking on a paved promenade buffeted by vendors.
"As I always say, an event like this is why people want to live in the Lehigh Valley."Phillips Armstrong, Lehigh County executive
“I wouldn’t miss it,” said Ronald Jerickson of Easton. “Just look around; all this for ten bucks. You can’t beat it.”
Energy. Smiles. Fair prices at the fair. Allentown at its best.
“I just love coming to the fair,” said Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk, following the opening day ceremony at the Astound Broadband Farmerama Theater.
“I love watching everyone having such a great time together, just being with fellow residents. Each year, my wife and I get on the Ferris wheel on the final day and love to look at the whole fair from up there. It’s a great event for Allentown.”
The opening ceremony featured the honor guard from the Allentown Police Department presenting their colors. Local entertainer Kristen Morgenstern sang the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
Among the many remarks delivered, Master of Ceremonies Daryl G. Urmy, president of the Lehigh County Agricultural Society, recalled how much of a part of his life the fair has been.
“I grew up here,” Urmy said. “I showed my Brown Swiss cow here when I was with 4-H. My 93-year-old father showed cattle here back in the 1930s and ’40s.
U.S. Rep. Glenn (G.T.) Thompson, D-Pa. 15, spoke on the importance of the upcoming Farm Bill in Congress. The farm bill is an omnibus, multi-year law that governs an array of agricultural and food programs. It provides an opportunity for policymakers to comprehensively and periodically address agricultural and food issues.
“In Lehigh Valley, there are 552 farms that cover 42,000 acres,” said Thompson, chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture. “Without a robust rural economy, everyone would wake up cold, dark, and hungry. This is a farm bill year. We have one goal: That it's bi-partisan, bicameral, on time and effective.”
Ellen Kern, representing Lehigh Valley Public Media, the parent company of LehighValleyNews.com, PBS39 and WLVR 91.3 FM, presented the Good Helper Award of the fair to Julie Intrepido-Kmetz, supervisor for the culinary contest at the fair.
Audrey Michael has been coming to the fair for more than 50 years, many of them with her dad, Albert Michael, the late proprietor of Michael Ice Cream Concessions in Orefield.
Now, she runs the stand at the fair.
"Dad ran the stand here for 68 years," she said while creating a waffle ice cream sandwich for two customers. "I'm carrying on the tradition."
Beyond the food and drinks and entertainment, the fair has always been mainly about one thing — its people.
"As I always say, an event like this is why people want to live in the Lehigh Valley," said Phillips Armstrong, a Lehigh County executive. "It gets people out together laughing and talking and enjoying the day. It's an opportunity to forget about the division in our country and to support the Lehigh Valley Agricultural Society.
"Why wouldn't you want to come to the fair?"
