Westmoreland Fair returns this weekend with more to see

There will be plenty of potential pandemic hobbies on display starting Friday as the Westmoreland Fair returns.

Entry office secretary Leanna Landy said entries for inside exhibits — such as handmade goods and food items — have increased this year after the 2020 fair was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“I think it was because people were stuck at home,” Landy said, referring to a time in 2020 when state officials advised everyone stay at home in an effort to slow the pandemic’s spread. “They were re-initiating old hobbies or initiating new ones.”

There will be quite a showdown for best apple pie and the top chocolate cake, too.

“There are a lot of entries,” she said.

The annual event kicks off at 4 p.m. Friday after a year hiatus. Organizers are expecting booming attendance amid a drop in livestock entries, something Landy said other fairs in the area have seen this year. She attributed it to uncertainty about whether the fair would go on as planned in 2021. That left members of 4H groups unsure of whether to prepare animals for months-long projects that culminate at the annual event.

“These kids and families did not know whether to purchase these market animals or not,” she said. “It was directly influenced by the pandemic uncertainty.”

But there will still be plenty of animals to see. Landy said the number of dairy cattle, poultry and rabbit entries are right on pace with previous years.

The growth of inside exhibits means there will be more to judge on Friday morning before the fairgrounds open to the public. Those entries include clothing items, quilts, baked goods, produce, wine, beer jam, flowers, photography and other items.

A cake and pie showdown contest will start at 11 a.m. Saturday.

The fair runs through Aug. 28. A full schedule of events is available at westmorelandfair.com. Admission is $7 and includes parking, amusement rides and entry to all exhibits and judging exhibitions. There is an extra charge for grandstand events.