A summertime tradition in Bucks County returns this week.
The 73rd annual Middletown Grange Fair kicks off Wednesday and runs through Sunday at the fairgrounds at 576 Penns Park Road in Wrightstown Township.
The festival at the fairgrounds will begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday with the opening ceremony. The fair will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day, with the exception of Sunday when the grange fair will close at 5 p.m.
Over the course of the grange fair, tens of thousands of people are expected to take in the 4-H displays, baking contests, amusement rides, artwork, business displays, food vendors, and farm animals of all sizes.
Admission to the volunteer-run Grange Fair is free, but parking will cost $20 for a daily pass. A five-day parking pass is $50.
The grange fair has four “big rules:” No dogs, alcohol, or illegal drugs; entry implies consent to be photographed or filmed; all kids must be supervised by an adult; and fun must be had.
Area 4-H clubs will have numerous events at the Grange Fair. In addition, the popular pig races, tractor parade, pedal power tractor pull, story time, horse-drawn wagons, chicken dinners, and other mainstays will return.
The grange fair traces its roots to 1948 when a national contest challenged groups to grow 300 bushels of corn. Middletown Grange members planted the corn for the contest in nearby Yardley before inviting the public to attend and participate in the harvest, according to organizers.
By 1966, the Middletown Grange purchased the Wrightstown tract of land. Over the years, the fair and permanent facilities have grown to accommodate the large crowds that attend the Grange Fair.
A full schedule for the week can be found on the grange fair’s website.
