Large turnout expected for Trump-Oz rally at Westmoreland Fairgrounds

Westmoreland Fair officials were told to expect as many as 20,000 people to descend upon the 170-acre facility in Mt. Pleasant Township on Friday for a rally featuring former President Donald Trump.

It will be Trump’s first return to Westmoreland County since campaigning here in the lead up to the 2020 election.

He will be joined by Dr. Mehmet Oz, whom Trump has endorsed in the May 17 primary to replace the retiring U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley.

The rally is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Gates will open at 3 p.m.

The event will be the first political rally conducted on the grounds, which hosts the county’s annual fair each August, said Sarah Sphon, secretary for the Westmoreland Fair board of directors.

“They reached out to us and worked out the details,” Sphon said.

She declined to disclose the financial terms of the deal to rent the fairgrounds.

The fairgrounds is operated by a nonprofit created to manage the Westmoreland Fair. The facility features a covered 5,000-seat grandstand and other onsite facilities. The fairgrounds also hosts other events throughout the year, including the annual Overly Country Christmas lights show, as well as food and arts festivals. About 30,000 people attended an alternative rock festival at the fairgrounds in the early 2000s.

There is no prohibition that prevents the fairgrounds from hosting a political event, said Peggy Outon, founder of the Bayer Center for Nonprofit Management at Robert Morris University.

“(Nonprofits) can be political but cannot be partisan,” Outon said. “It’s OK to rent to a political organization as long as they know they have to be available to all political organizations.”

The county’s Democratic and Republican committees rent space in the exposition buildings each summer during the fair.

The fairgrounds won’t have out-of-pocket expenses related to the rally, Sphon said.

Security will be coordinated through the U.S. Secret Service. Event organizers will be responsible for other expenses associated with the rally, she said.

Trump’s campaign was accused of delaying payments for political events during the previous campaign. That won’t be an issue for the Westmoreland County rally.

“They have to pre-pay,” Sphon said. “They don’t step foot on our grounds unless they pre-pay.”

Bill Bretz, chairman of Westmoreland County’s Republican Committee, said he expects a strong turnout but added the local GOP has not participated in its planning.

Still, he said county Republicans are excited for Trump’s return.

“Appearances like these prove Westmoreland County is a bellwether in Pennsylvania and throughout the nation,” Bretz said.

Logistics for the event are still being finalized. Sphon said the fairgrounds can accommodate the expected large crowd. About 12,000 to 15,000 visitors attend the fair each day, she said.

According to the organization’s website, there is space for as many as 12,000 vehicles to park at the fairgrounds.

Thousands turned out in September 2020 for Trump’s last appearance in Westmoreland County, which was held in a private hangar at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport near Latrobe.

Security arrangements are ongoing ahead of Trump’s arrival prior to next week’s rally, said Gabe Monzo, executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority. There will be no disruption to the commercial flight schedule at the airport, Monzo said.