LIMESTONE TOWNSHIP, MONTOUR COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Fair season is officially in full swing across our region, providing not just family fun, but also giving farmers and craftsmen an outlet to showcase their work.
The story behind one fair in Montour County, where generations of families have kept it going strong for the last 87 years.
There’s nothing like dropping into a dunk tank before the sun comes up.
That’s exactly what John Esenwein did Tuesday morning, but all to raise money for local fire departments at a summer staple event.
"It was cold, but it’s worth it because it’s for the Montour Delong Fair," said Esenwein, a fair board member of the Montour Delong Fair.
Fair fun is underway after opening night. Monday brought thousands to the grounds off Broadway Road near Washingtonville.
"The fair is about the kids and getting them to see the bigger picture in life as to what the projects are really about. As to how they help put things back in the community, in a sense," explained Jeremy Wolfe, vice president of the Montour Delong Fair.
Vice President Wolfe tells me it's significantly grown over the last few years.
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Spotlighting the hard work of four students through agriculture, such as showing animals or through hundreds of projects to be judged.
Also sharing local history, you can find reenactors, historians, and demonstrations inside the John Bosley log cabin.
"John Bosley came into our area in the 1700s, late 1700s, and around the Revolutionary War, they fortified a grist mill, and that is known as the Bosley Fort," stated John Marr, reenactor.
You can’t forget about the food, or in this case, meat.
"It took two years of trial and error before we even opened up anything, and it takes 12 to 14 hours to smoke a brisket for the way that we do it," explained Samuel Radel, co-owner, Radel’s Raging BBQ.
In its first year at the fair, Radel’s Raging BBQ was a hit the first night, especially for its bacon seeds.
"Diced jalapenos, cream cheese, sausage, wrapped in sausage and bacon, and then there is a special seasoning. I won’t say the seasoning because sometimes I switch it up, but I season it with love for sure," said Julie Radel, co-owner, Radel’s Raging BBQ.
Running through Saturday, organizers say it's the generations of families that show up year after year, to make the Montour Delong Fair what it is today.
"We wouldn’t be able to do what we do because it takes a lot of hands to keep this wheel moving," expressed Esenwein.
The Montour Delong Fair reopens at 4:00 p.m. and runs through Saturday. On Saturday morning, they’re also hosting their first-ever car show beginning at 10:00 a.m.
