The Oley Fair

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday mark the 62nd annual Oley Fair.

When I was in elementary, my teachers were the judges so school closed Wednesday afternoon. They also worked the concession stands so it remained closed Thursday and Friday. Now I may be wrong, but I think we had a “full school field trip” those days. I think the buses still picked us up at the regular time and dropped us off at school which was just across the street from the fairgrounds. We assembled as classes and went to the fair. We stayed together. We wouldn’t even think not to. It was the late sixties/early seventies and we were under 12. Back then the thought of seeing the principal still meant something. He was also a judge, probably the head judge and roamed the concession stands. If we weren’t with our class it was guaranteed we’d bump into him and there’d be hell to pay. Can you imagine attempting this today?

It was also guaranteed there’d be at least one cow giving birth during fair hours. Sometimes we’d get to witness twins. Before all the avian flu threats, there’d be fowl of every imaginable plumage to see too. In high school, I had a friend, C, who entered sheep and always participated in the sheering contest. C was a rather odd individual. You were never sure if he was entirely there or not with his standard vacant look and sweet smile but put a sheers in his hand and point him towards a sheep and he came to life. It was like someone flipped a switch. In less than two minutes he could have a full fleece in one piece and a naked sheep. And then he’d go back to nodding and smiling as he held both up for all to see. I wonder if he’s still exhibiting.

The Oley Fair was always a small time country fair. Probably still is. There were two main outdoor aisles plus an indoor advertising hall, the livestock pens, the needlework, baked and canned goods hall, the floral and artwork hall, the fresh produce building, the concession stands, the fresh cut French fry stand, the homemade milkshake booth, the Senior stand with fresh cider and baked goods that the senior class begged community members to contribute, a band shell, the tractor display and the rides. You could walk the whole thing in 15 minutes tops, seeing everything there is to see but my friends and I still managed to fill every hour of the entire three days of every year I was in school.

The rides. Enough to make every parent cringe with fear. We were given the “don’t get on the Ferris wheel within an hour of our designated pick up time since without a doubt it broke down” lecture daily. Nope, never paid any attention to that one. We had a standing contest to see who could be latest meeting the parents due to being stuck on the Ferris wheel that ran from the time we started school to the time we graduated. It might still be going on for all I know. I’m not one who has to go back and meet up with former class members as I know some do. Of course I suspect the rides are in much better repair now than they were back then. Or at least I hope they are.

The weather this year is clear and unseasonably cold. It alternates between that and torrential downpours. There were years with honest to goodness snow flurries that astounded the weather men. Heh, you think they’d have learned to check the calendar to see when the Oley Fair was scheduled, wouldn’t you?

If you’re not busy and want a taste of the past come on out. Oley is a pretty little town that time forgot. There’s a tractor pull Friday and a pie eating contest Saturday. The fries couldn’t be any fresher and the milkshakes are made with real milk, no preservatives. See some handmade quilts designed by the ladies who quilted them and incredible artwork that you won’t believe is done by students. Walk along the midway, hold hands with your sweetie, and listen to the high school band, a damn fine high school band at that. I went to school with the director and I know he’d never let it be anything but the best!