Berks County Fair celebrates 170th year by bringing back rides, adding contests

For about 50 years Nettie Kauffman, 81, of Ontelaunee Township has been a volunteer at the Berks County Fair.

Going back to the days when it was called the Reading Fair, she started in the Ontelaunee Grange food stand, cooking her popular chili and other items. Now she leads her fellow volunteers in the home goods area.

But even before volunteering she attended the fair as a young woman, and it was there that she would meet a farm boy named Irvin Kauffman whom she’d fall in love with and marry.

A 2004 Reading Fair poster. (BILL UHRICH – READING EAGLE)

The couple is still together, and the fair is still a big part of Nettie’s life, she said, as she encouraged others to attend this year’s event.

“This is our comeback year,” she said, speaking of the return of attractions that were put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The fair will soon celebrate its 170th year by bringing back rides, adding new contests and otherwise enhancing the popular event, organizers said.

The fair is scheduled for July 10-13 at the fairgrounds, 1216 Hilltop Road, Bern Township.

Though admission to the fair is free, including the musical entertainment, there is a $5 parking charge per vehicle and tickets are needed for some events.

It is Pennsylvania’s second oldest county fair, with only York County having started earlier.

This year the Berks event will include Huey’s Amusements on the midway providing rides for all ages, games, and concessions for the first time since the pandemic.

Among the new contests this year are hay bale decorating, tractor competitions and Lego Knex building, said fair spokeswoman Ashley Mohn.

Young farmers prepare their animals for competition at a recent Berks County Fair. (PHOTO COURTESY OF BERKS COUNTY FAIR)

There will also be the traditional contests in categories such as produce, flower growing, photography, baked goods, quilts, embroidery and more.

Animals on display and in competition for ribbons will include cows, steer, pigs, goats and sheep.

All contest entries must have been preregistered.

Children’s games will include egg and balloon tosses, and tractor drivers will demonstrate their skill by dropping rubber chickens into pots, placing corn kernels into baskets, and other contests.

Children compete in one of the kids’ games at a recent Berks County Fair. (PHOTO COURTESY OF BERKS COUNTY FAIR)

The musical performances will include Jeff Corle on July 10, Mystic Warrior Band on July 11, T.J. Bebb on July 12, and Maddie Pearl Band on July 13.

The Jess Zimmerman band will also perform on the track on July 10.

The July 11 track event is Bull Ride Mania and American Rodeo, and tractor and truck pulls will be held July 12 and 13. Tickets for those events are available online.

With Berks having such a strong agricultural heritage, the fair strives to showcase the county’s excellence in farm fresh produce, livestock and everything in between, organizers said.

Some of the entries in the quilt competition of a recent Berks County Fair. (PHOTO COURTESY OF BERKS COUNTY FAIR)

People attend the fair to enjoy its traditions and also experience good fellowship with friends and family while learning about local farming, Mohn said.

“It’s a great place for the community to come together and to see old friends,” she said.

Delicious Pennsylvania Dutch cooking is also a big part of what draws people to the fair, she said.

This year’s menu includes cheeseburgers, sausage sandwiches, pierogies, funnel cake, fried Oreos and breakfast items among the many offerings.

The Berks County Fair as it looked in the 1950s, then known as the Reading Fair. (PHOTO COURTESY OF BERKS COUNTY FAIR)

Kauffman urged people to come out to try the food, and also to provide the fair with much needed volunteer help, saying that like the fair visitors, the volunteers have a good time together.

“It’s a fun event for all ages,” she said. “You’ve got to come out.”

A tractor pulls a load during a competition at the Berks County Fair. (PHOTO COURTESY OF BERKS COUNTY FAIR)If you go

What: Berks County Fair

When: July 10-13

Hours: July 10-12, 4 to 9 p.m.; July 13, noon to 9 p.m.

Where: 1216 Hilltop Road, Bern Township.

Price: Admission is free. Parking is $5. Musical performances are free, but tickets are needed for tractor pulling events.