By Grace Novosel
(Editor’s Note: 2025 Centre County Grange Fair Queen Grace Novosel provided the following open letter regarding the 2025 Grange Fair.)
CENTRE HALL — It’s finally fall…. The hustle and bustle of summer has started to fade along with the long sunny days. Vibrant colors and the coziness of autumn is in the air, bringing a bit of mystery and marvel to the new season ahead. I’m here to take the mystery out of how our 2025 Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair went this year.
Our fair didn’t officially start until Aug. 15; however, my fair started on Aug. 13 when I was crowned the 2025 Centre County Grange Fair Queen.
My name is Gracie Novosel and I am a senior at Bellefonte Area High School, where I am active in FFA, 4H Livestock Judging, Girl Scouts, National Honor Society, and am the captain of the varsity cheerleading team. That night kicked off a very busy week that kept me and my court moving from one event to the next. Joining me this year as Alternate Fair Queen is Annalea Barger of Spring Mills, and Junior Ambassadors Emma Walizer and Haylee Swoope, both of Bellefonte.
If you have ever been to the Centre County Grange Fair, you know we are known for being the only tenting and encampment fair left in the nation. There were 1,001 canvas tents filled with everything you need to live for nine days. Families not only pack in the people, but they bring everything from the front porch to the kitchen sink! It’s not quite known how many people entered our gates this year because once you come in, most people stay the whole time without leaving.
Grange Fair had so much to offer this year. We celebrated the “Best Days of Summer” with free live grandstand acts such as Neal McCoy, equine competitions, and the ever-crowded truck and tractor pulls. We had over 300 vendors this past year to shop and eat to your heart’s desire. We are talking farm-fresh-to-table kinds of food grown right down the street!
Agriculture is front and center at our fair. Seeing firsthand the hard work and dedication of Centre County’s FFA and 4H students. This year in our livestock shows, we had 533 market animals and 226 breeding animals exhibited, not including our equine shows that included 14 6-draft horse hitches. At the end of the week, the junior livestock sale brought in a record amount of $791,725!
What an astonishing amount raised for an amazing week! It’s hard to believe that we blinked and the fair is over. The dust may have settled and the barns are empty, but for this queen and my court, we are just getting started.
Come see us at one of the many homecoming parades, fall festivals, or trunk-or-treat events this fall. Fall is one of my favorite seasons, when I get to enjoy a nice cup of hot apple cider while carving the biggest pumpkin I can find. I had no idea that Pennsylvania ranks third in the nation for pumpkin production, producing over 108 million pounds last year.
If you see me out and about, stop by and say hi. I would love to find out what you’re doing when you’re not at the Great Grange Fair.
