Appreciation of the U.S. Armed Forces will take front and center at the 168th edition of the Bloomsburg Fair when Military Appreciation Day is held at the Fair on Wednesday, September 27.
This day will include a variety of things that help to honor former and present military personnel, including free admission, various booths of useful information for veterans, and other related information.
According to Fair officials, the Fair has been honoring our past and present military personnel with FREE admission for 25 Years. In the past, the Monday of the Fair was a Free Day. Last year, the Admissions Department requested that the Military Day be changed to Wednesday, providing the Military their own day — not to share with Senior Citizen Day. The Fair Board approved. Last year was the first year it was held on a Wednesday. The American Legion Post 273, Bloomsburg, sponsored Banners for the gates that read THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE. Those banners will be used again this year, along with our staff wearing sponsored shirts from Humara. The American Legion will also be sponsoring small flags that will be handed out to the vendors across the grounds to display that day.
Representative Robert Leadbeter has partnered with the Bloomsburg Fair this year for the First Annual Veterans Expo.
In conjunction with the Bloomsburg Fair Military Appreciation Day, the PA Department of Military and Veterans Affairs will host a town hall-style discussion as part of the “Let’s Talk Vet 2 Vet” series.
This has traveled across the commonwealth to provide service members, veterans, and their families access to a wide variety of resources through the designated Veterans Resource Expo, which is what we will have here at the fairgrounds behind the Education Building from 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
Then, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., attendees will have a unique opportunity to hear from key veteran advocates and programs that support veterans and their caregivers through a panel discussion. The discussion will touch upon benefits, resources, and programs that can help the military-affiliated community, specifically bringing attention to programs that address self-care and caregiver support.
The Fair has had various things to offer this year, including various outstanding musical acts highlighting fair entertainment this year. These included Richard Marx, “I Love the 90s” featuring Vanilla Ice, Brantley Gilbert, and Zach Williams.
There is still plenty of free entertainment to be found in the remaining days of the fair. Some of the acts include Bat Out of Hell, (a Meatloaf tribute band), The Avalons, the Mahoney Brothers, Into the Spin, Philadelphia Freedom, (an Elton John tribute), 70s Flashback and Looker. Plus many more!
There will be motorized excitement when Dialed Action Sports-FMX, BMX, and MTB are featured on September 28. The Big Rig Series will take place on September 29. And a Championship Demolition Derby on September 30.
No fair would be complete without the usual variety of food vendors serving their classic fair food. And, of course, there will be a wide variety of craft and merchandise vendors on hand as well.
The Bloomsburg Fair bills itself as the “Largest Agricultural Fair in Pennsylvania.” And following that theme, the wide variety of agricultural bounties of this state will be on display and competing in various contests. It will be a bonanza for those with an interest in all things agricultural.
And as always there will be plenty of games and rides for all ages on the midway.
Admission prices for the Fair are adults (13+) – $8.00, child (12 and under) – free. Parking is $5.00.
The Bloomsburg Fair runs until September 30. For further information, contact the fair office at 570-784-4949 or look for them online at http://www.bloomsburgfair.com.
