Families strolled through the barns, petting goats and sheep and admiring the exotic plumage on the variety of chickens. Couples sipped fresh-squeezed lemonade. Children took their shot at the ring toss, or asked big brothers to help them win that coveted stuffed animal prize. The familiar scenes mark the unofficial close of summer, as many area youths revel in this last week spent carefree with friends before returning to the classroom.
"I'm going to see Rush and I'm pretty excited," said Skyler Vassallo, 17, who will be an Allen High School senior.
Hordes of Rush fans arrived before sunset in T-shirts from past concerts to grab a bite to eat and get into the grandstands early.
Julie Greenzweig of Allentown brought her 1-year-old daughter Kaitlin to the fair. They walked through the barns admiring the 4-H Club livestock on display.
"It's her first time and we brought her out so she could see the animals," Greenzweig said. "She loved the cows."
As the sun set and the evening cooled, Alan and Carmen Moyer of Allentown arrived at the fair and took a quick stroll past the cows, pausing to pet one large, gentle bovine on the way to carry out other plans.
"I'm here for the food," Alan Moyer said, adding that each year he has to have a cheesesteak and fresh-cut fries. "I'm here every year, I was born and raised here."
Away from the noise of the midway rides and the first chords of Rush echoing off the buildings, crowds toured the Agri-Plex, admiring the award-winning produce and watching the judging of a cake baking contest.
William Albert, president of the Lehigh County Agricultural Society that organizes the fair each year, said there are more than 9,000 entries in the contests at the Agri-Plex this year.
"If you come to the fair and you don't get to the west end of the fairgrounds, you haven't been to the Allentown Fair," Albert told a crowd of about 150 people under the Music Tent for the evening's opening ceremonies.
Albert said animals and agriculture are what the fair is about.
The opening ceremonies included the introduction of Cedar Crest College sophomore Stephanie Baunach as the 2010 Fair Queen. Baunach is from a dairy farming family in Coopersburg.
Russell Redding, the state agriculture secretary, lauded the fair for its celebration of agriculture. He said each of the 114 fairs in the state is like a patch in a quilt.
Each one is a unique part of Pennsylvania," Redding said.
Albert said the fair has welcomed thousands of guests throughout the years, including World War II Gen. Douglas MacArthur in 1951. Albert said MacArthur took the train from New York with his son, dined on pork and sauerkraut at the fair and later called the event the greatest county fair in America.
"MacArthur was a pretty smart man, I tell you," Albert said.
Admission is $6. Children under 12 are admitted free. The fair runs through Monday.
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