A Lighter View
Farmers Fair like a smorgasbord
By K.E.H. Stagg

October 14 , 2010

While searching mental files for the appropriate description with which to liken Farmers Fair, it hit me. Farmers Fair is just like a smorgasbord. After all, Farmers Fair has something to suit a variety of taste: from everything agriculture related—antique tractors on display, a petting zoo and pony rides for kids, and homegrown produce to amaze/admire—to handcrafted quilts, antique and classic auto displays, food stands, judged art work, and yard sales galore. And that’s barely the beginning! Like a smorgasbord, Farmers Fair has “too many items to list”; each one the highlight of someone’s day, and all worthy of attention.

Also like a smorgasbord, Farmers Fair is best enjoyed and appreciated over an extended period of time. Personally, I think it requires both Friday and Saturday attendance to get the full “taste” of Dillsburg’s fall event, but not everyone can devote that chunk of time. Still, the longer a person spends at Farmers Fair, the more he or she can see and participate in all it has to offer; hence, the more enjoyment to be gained from it.

Another way in which Farmers Fair can be likened to a smorgasbord, is that with just a little advance planning, it’s possible to avoid overdoing it for yourself or those with you. One memorable year, I was up and down Baltimore Street at least a dozen times on Saturday because I forgot that I’d arranged to meet friends at the northern end until I’d made it all the way to the southern tip. Then they wanted to see everything, so I did the loop again. By which time it was lunch, and we wanted to take advantage of all the eats on offer, so ended up making yet another loop. This was repeated yet again when we decided to return to the Community Hall for ice cream. Of course, they wanted to check out yard sales, which required another lap of Dillsburg. And having checked them out, the must-have item was (of course!) at the opposite end of town. . . and so it went, all day long.

Had we done even a teeny bit of planning, we could easily have combined our fair events with yard sale side trips, and grazed as we walked. We would’ve saved ourselves at least three round-trips of downtown in the process. And yet, it wasn’t a hardship to walk in that year’s brisk breeze; just a little fatiguing after six hours of it. I was nearly too tuckered to enjoy the evening parade, knowing I still had the trek to my car after it was over. However, with an infusion of my favorite form of pumpkin—funnel cake—washed down with hot cider, I lasted for the duration.

Honestly, Dillsburg shows to best advantage at Farmers Fair, with decorations along Balitmore Street which is conveniently blocked to traffic to allow pedestrians easy access. I always try to talk my friends into stopping in town that weekend. Most often, residents of the greater Harrisburg are treat Dillsburg as a through street: some place to drive through on the way to where they really want to go. But once they’ve managed to experience Dillsburg as a destination, they find themselves coming back throughout the year to shop at our antique stores; get coffee and a bite to eat; or to check books out of the Dillsburg Library. Or even just to stop at yard sales.

During Farmers Fair weekend, outsiders discover what those of us who live here year-round already know: Dillsburg is a great place to live. There is plenty for residents to “dine” on after the rest of Central Pennsylvania fold up their tents and leave town.