Corbett pays preview night visit

FROM THE MORNING CALL

The 159th Great Allentown Fair kicked off Tuesday with a special opening ceremony visit by Gov. Tom Corbett, who lauded the event and all agricultural fairs across the state.

Corbett recently toured the Lehigh Valley by air, surveying damage from Hurricane Irene, and returned for preview night of the beloved event that, for many, marks the end of summer.

"For 159 years people have been doing this; people came to celebrate the end of the growing season," Corbett said. "Today we still do that."

Opening ceremonies included the presentation of colors and the national anthem led by the Allen High School Chorale, which will also perform Wednesday night during the Foreigner concert before a sold-out crowd of more than 10,000 people.

Lehigh County Agricultural Society officials presented an Outstanding Fair Ambassador Award to 30-year volunteer Naomi Grim for her work running livestock shows, and introduced 2011 Fair Queen Margarita Munoz of New Tripoli, who will be the face of the fair and work to educate the public about agriculture at various events throughout the year.

"This is not a Lehigh County or an Allentown event, it's a Lehigh Valley event, it's a northeast event," Corbett said.

There are 113 fairs across the state from June through September. Corbett said fairs are part of Pennsylvania culture and state government has worked to maintain their funding.

"We're going to do our best to bring the fairs back all over the state of Pennsylvania," Corbett said. "People enjoy the community, people enjoy the opportunity to get together, communicate and share good memories."

Meanwhile, among the shooting galleries and games of the Midway, a new generation of fairgoers was busy making memories.

City children mingled with country children and the goats, cattle and sheep they raised and groomed to compete in the fair's livestock competitions. Families and teens, the young and the old, lined up at their favorite food stands, ordering funnel cake, gyros or the root beer float that they've awaited all summer long. Teen girls picked at cotton candy in their homemade Bruno Mars fan T-shirts, waiting for the concert to begin, while women ogled the cakes and preserved vegetables on display in the Argi-Plex.

While the fair periodically undergoes small changes, the key elements that keep the public returning are the familiar games and rides of the Midway, the headlining concerts, variety of food, free entertainment and farm animals. And preview night particularly draws large crowds — for the people as much as for the entertainment.

"It's an interesting experience to say the least, I love people-watching," said Kalina Mellman, a student at the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts.

The fair continues through Monday and is open each day from noon to 11 p.m. with closing night ending at 10 p.m.

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/allentown/mc-allentown-fair-opening-day-20110830,0,3974712.story