By George Berkheimer For the Bedford Gazette
The Bedford County Fair has been promoting the science of agriculture, horticulture, household arts and family living since 1873.
“In all that time the fair was only cancelled twice, once for COVID in 2020 and once during World War II,” said Bill Hoover, president of the Bedford County Fair’s board of directors.
Although a lot has changed in the field of agriculture in 151 years, the attractions that drew people in the beginning are still those sought out by visitors today: livestock, agricultural exhibits, amusements, entertainment, good food, and a chance to celebrate the joys of country living as a community.
Hoover’s tenure on the board goes back 15 years, but he’s been involved with the event since his childhood.
“I grew up working at the fairgrounds mowing grass, cleaning barns, painting etc. in the summer.” he said. “My family has been involved with the fairgrounds as long as I can remember going back to my grandfather who maintained the grounds and lived on the grounds.”
Today his focus with the help of the Senior Fair Board and the Junior Fair Board is on the ins and outs of business and operations. “Our Junior Fair Board consists of youth ages 14-21 and has been a tremendous help for the fair,” Hoover said
“I have a degree in business accounting and worked for a local manufacturing company for 40 years,” he added. “I had the opportunity to work in strategic planning with an entrepreneur in a startup company, and that experience has helped a lot with my responsibilities here.”
Unique tradition
There’s something that each visitor looks forward to each year at the fair, whether it’s the grilled sausage, funnel cakes, gyros or fun carnival games and rides on the midway, the creativity on display in the exhibition hall, the exciting events and entertainment, or the fireworks, but everybody loves the animals.
“I tallied the number of dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep, goats, swine, horses, rabbits, poultry, and other animals before delivering a talk at an event and I was really surprised to discover we had over 900 animals,” Hoover said. “I think that volume is something that sets us apart from other fairs.”
One unusual attraction is the harness races, a long-standing tradition that requires selection through an application process managed by the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association and the State Harness Racing Commission.
“Two of the biggest names in harness racing are from Bedford County, Sam Beegle and Roger Hammer,” Hoover said. “They’ve been racing for a long time with a lot of success, and I think their presence helps attract a lot of talent from across the state and even out of state to race here.”
Entertainment is always a good draw, Hoover said, especially the grandstand events.
“The demolition derby is always well attended, and our rodeo, truck and tractor pulls and auto racing are always popular, too,” he said.
It was easier to attract big name stars in the past – Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton performed at the Great Bedford Fair in 1970 – but music is still a big part of the mix.
“We have entertainment on the grandstand side and we also have a variety of music at the picnic pavilion every night,” Hoover said.
Economic asset
Maintaining 100 acres of grounds and putting on the fair each year is a logistical challenge, and one that doesn’t happen without a great team of staff and volunteers.
“We’re so grateful for our volunteers, sponsors, employees, exhibitors, patrons, our youth and the whole community for pulling together to make it happen,” Hoover said. “Behind the scenes we have 300 volunteers, at least 35 committees and 90 sponsors, and we couldn’t do this without them.”
And as it turns out, that hard work pays big dividends.
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s December 2024 study titled “The Economic Impact and Benefits of Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Fair Industry” confirmed that tourism tied to fairs generates revenue for nearby businesses, creates temporary employment opportunities, and helps local agricultural producers market their products.
According to the study, Bedford’s 2024 fair attendance was 28,419. With an operating expenditure of $394,000 and capital expenditures of $60,000 in 2023, the Bedford County Fair accounted for 1% of the economic impact in the county with a direct output of $5.54 million and a total output of $10.68 million.
“Last year the livestock sale alone brought in $550,000 for our county youth who do a tremendous job of raising and showing their animals. This is all possible due to the generosity of our businesses, friends and families.” Hoover said.
Fair season packs a lot of activity and economic benefits into a week, but the fairgrounds also support events in the offseason.
“We rent Jordan Hall, the fairgrounds, the barns with 4H events, Fall Foliage Parking, Christmas tree sales and auto races throughout the year,” Hoover said. “We have a great partnership with the Bedford Chamber of Commerce, with the drive-in movie theater, Holiday Nights of Lights display and more.” We want the fairgrounds to be available for our community.
Although the fair only lasts a week, it takes a year’s worth of organization. Our board members are awesome and have a passion for the Bedford County Fair. They have already begun preparing for the annual State Fair Convention scheduled for January in Hershey.
It’s an important networking event where next year’s vendors and entertainers come to decide where they’ll set up shop.
“They’re looking at attendance and checking how large our livestock display is,” Hoover said, both things that make the Bedford County Fair an attractive choice. “When they see our numbers and realize that we’ve been around for 150 years, they know we’re doing something right.”
The Bedford County Fair returns July 26–August 1, bringing a full week of agriculture, entertainment, and community tradition.