The Great Allentown Fair

09/10/2026

Look closely at the littlest Phillies fan in this photo. ❤ This one takes us back to 2009, when our Box Office Manager Anne, better known to these two as "Aunt Anne," was at the Fair with Danny and Mickey.

Seventeen years later, this littlest little, Danny, was back at the Fairgrounds again this year... only this time, he wasn't visiting Aunt Anne. He was working alongside her in the Box Office. From Fair kid to Fair staff, we love when an old photo suddenly tells a much bigger story. 💫

09/10/2026

What a way to begin a reign! 👑🎂❤️ It’s birthday week for our newly crowned 2026 Great Allentown Fair Queen, Brinley Hess, and we can’t think of a better way to start a year filled with representing the Fair, agriculture and the community she calls home.

We’re so excited for everything this year has in store for our Queen — both under the crown and beyond it.

Help us celebrate by wishing Queen Brinley a very Happy Birthday and a wonderful year ahead! 🎉👑

A very happy birthday to our newly crowned 2026 Great Allentown Fair Queen Brinley Hess. Wishing you a great year ahead.

09/10/2026

Carrie-ing the workload of seven. 💪🏽 And still Carrie-ing on with a smile. We don’t know how she Carrie-s it all, but we’re awfully glad she does. 🤗

09/10/2026

Fair week, we ❤️ you! But there’s something wonderful about getting back to our regular routine, too. 🛒😋 The Allentown Fairgrounds Farmers Market reopens tomorrow, and we’re already thinking about that early morning breakfast, the quick lunch in the middle of the day, and that stop on the way home from work when you somehow leave with more than you planned. 😊

09/09/2026

Some people just really love what they do. And if you spent any time around the Fairgrounds this past week, there’s a pretty good chance you saw that in action.

This is Signal of PA & New Jersey's very own Paul Kennedy, doing what Paul does best; being completely on his game and loving every minute of it. 😁

Paul is one of those people who is paying attention 24/7. He knows what’s happening, where he needs to be and what needs to happen next. And because of that, every once in a while, the job comes with some pretty cool assignments.

Like this one. 💫 On Sunday, Paul had the honor of es**rting the Aqua String Band, Philadelphia’s Fabulous Mummers, through the Fairgrounds as they performed for fairgoers. Not a bad day at the office. 😎

We concluded our 174th Great Allentown Fair on Monday, and Signal of Eastern PA was there with us through it all. Their team helped look after our grounds and the people who filled them, through long days and late nights.

And while Paul happens to be the one in this photo, there are plenty of others on the Signal team who showed up with that same level of care and commitment all week long. There's something extremely reassuring about knowing good people are watching out for you. And that's how we feel when Signal is here.

So, yes… be like Paul. Show up. Pay attention. Take care of people. And if the opportunity comes along to es**rt the Mummers through the Fairgrounds, enjoy every second of it. 🎉

To Paul and the entire Signal of Eastern PA team, thank you for taking such good care of our Fair, our fairgoers and all of us who call these grounds home for six very busy days. We’re grateful to have you beside us. We appreciate you, we trust you, and yes… we love you. 🧡💙

09/09/2026

On Sunday, September 6, during Red, White & THANK YOU! Military Appreciation Day, The Great Allentown Fair had the honor of presenting the 2026 Hometown Hero Award to United States Marine Corps veteran Sergeant Fred G. Gould Jr.

Fred's story is a remarkable example of a lifetime of service. During the Carter administration, he served on Presidential Detail, standing post at the White House and serving in the ceremonial role of saluting the President as he arrived and departed aboard the presidential Marine helicopter.

That commitment to service continued long after his time in uniform.

Today, Fred serves as Adjutant of Marine Corps League Bethlehem Detachment #284 and remains actively involved in supporting veterans throughout the Lehigh Valley. Along with his wife, Tammey, he also gives his time to DeSales Veterans and Military Services , helping support veterans, military-connected families, and scholarship efforts.

That is what the Hometown Hero Award is all about; recognizing someone whose service did not end when the uniform came off, but continued through the way they live, serve, and give back to others.

We are especially grateful to Kitchen Magic, our presenting partner of Red, White & THANK YOU! Military Appreciation Day, for helping make this important recognition possible. We were also pleased to have Joey Piazza, Marketing Director of Kitchen Magic, with us for the ceremony and the presentation of this year's Hometown Hero Award.

And to Wendy Badman of DeSales University, thank you for the incredible care, time, and dedication she gave to this year's Hometown Hero program and to connecting us with our military community.

It was also a very special honor to welcome back our 2025 Hometown Hero Award recipient, Frederic Albert Reed Jr., who led us in the Pledge of Allegiance to begin this year's ceremony. Having last year's Hometown Hero return to help us recognize the next was a meaningful way to continue what this award represents.

We are so grateful to Lisa-Jon Lepeta for leading us in the National Anthem and helping make the ceremony even more memorable.

Congratulations once again to Sergeant Fred G. Gould Jr., our 2026 Great Allentown Fair Hometown Hero. 🇺🇸

Pictured from left: Staci Horvath, representing The Great Allentown Fair; 2025 Hometown Hero Frederic Albert Reed Jr.; 2026 Hometown Hero Sergeant Fred G. Gould Jr.; Tammey Gould; Joey Piazza, representing Kitchen Magic; and Wendy Badman of DeSales University.

09/09/2026

😂 Oh, the things that happen inside Agri-Plex during Fair week…
And then there’s Marie. While everyone else is simply posing for a nice photo, Marie is apparently having the time of her life. 😂 These are the people who bring Agri-Plex to life every year, and clearly, some of them take that responsibility more seriously than others. Never change, Marie. 🤗

09/09/2026

We love seeing the stories behind the ribbons! 💙🏆Congratulations, Danielle, on your First Place win at The Great Allentown Fair!

09/09/2026

You know what to do! 😁