Ephrata Fair
Encyclopedia
Ephrata, Pennsylvania
Ephrata is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, south east of Harrisburg and about west by north of Philadelphia. It is named after Ephrath, a biblical town in what is now Israel. Ephrata's sister city is Eberbach, Germany, the city where its founders originated. In its...
, Lancaster County
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...
, and is the largest street fair in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
In 2010, the 92nd Annual fair was held on September 21 - 25, 2010.
History
In the late 1910s, such businessmen in Ephrata as Harry Singer, Dutch Butcher, Charles Yeager, and I.G. Sprecher decided to hold a celebration in honor of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
veterans. Mr. Singer was in charge of the group, and in 1918, he paid for the erection of a memorial to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
veterans. The aforementioned group of men, along with other businessmen, created and funded the first Ephrata Fair. In 1922, what is now known as the Ephrata Fair was officially called the Ephrata Farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
’s Day Fair. In the 1920s, the celebration was extended to three days and welcomed the addition of a Mummers Parade
Mummers Parade
The Mummers Parade is held each New Year's Day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Local clubs compete in one of four categories . They prepare elaborate costumes and moveable scenery, which take months to complete...
.
The Ephrata Farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
’s Day Fair was held in October from the year of its conception to the 1940s. After that time, the event was scheduled to be held in September due to the inclement weather of October. In the 1930s, the Ephrata Cloister
Ephrata Cloister
The Ephrata Cloister or Ephrata Community was a religious community, established in 1732 by Johann Conrad Beissel at Ephrata, in what is now Lancaster County, Pennsylvania...
Post #429, American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
would distribute a free automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
through the use of a raffle. The winner would be drawn between 12:00 and 12:30 AM. This event did not survive World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
since cars became much scarcer during that time.
There were many changes to the Ephrata Fair after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. With the contribution of a baby parade, more entertainment rides, and a beauty pageant, the Fair began to take on a larger form. The parade was moved to Wednesday evenings, which is still the tradition today. Around 1966, Tent City was added to the Ephrata Fair. One of individuals responsible for the addition of this agricultural attraction was a vo-ag teacher at Ephrata named Charles Ackley. Tent City took shape every year in the Ephrata Park on the baseball diamond beside the Cocalico Creek. There are many events held at Tent City ever year, including a pig chase, a chicken chase for children, a sheep show, a hog show, and a dairy and beef show. One is also able to view the annual tractor pulling contest.
The Ephrata Fair also has some claim to history with national significance. In 1953, Evelyn Ay won the Miss Lancaster County Pageant that was held every Saturday night during fair week. Evelyn Ay then won the Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
title in Atlantic City. For her talent, Miss Ay read Longfellow
Longfellow
Longfellow may refer to:* Longfellow, Minneapolis, United States** Longfellow , Minneapolis, United States* Longfellow, Oakland, California, United States* Longfellow , one of America's first great thoroughbred racehorses...
’s poem, “The Song of Hiawatha
The Song of Hiawatha
The Song of Hiawatha is an 1855 epic poem, in trochaic tetrameter, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, featuring an Indian hero and loosely based on legends and ethnography of the Ojibwe and other Native American peoples contained in Algic Researches and additional writings of Henry Rowe Schoolcraft...
.”
Prior Festivals
Before the Ephrata Fair that is widely known today, there were many other festivals held in the little town of Ephrata, PennsylvaniaEphrata, Pennsylvania
Ephrata is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States, south east of Harrisburg and about west by north of Philadelphia. It is named after Ephrath, a biblical town in what is now Israel. Ephrata's sister city is Eberbach, Germany, the city where its founders originated. In its...
. In the 1880s, the Ephrata Baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
Club would hold fairs on what was then known as Baker’s Lot. Between the 1880s and early 1900s, the Mountain Springs Rifles would hold celebrations on the Mountain Springs Hotel. In the 1880s and 1890s, the Ephrata Cornet Band would hold festivities in Reddig’s Hall and the Ephrata Band Hall. From 1891 to 1926, the Pioneer Fire Company held fairs in the Band Hall. The month of the annual celebration varied between January and February. It is worth noting that Ephrata’s first street fair was prior to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The Ephrata Park Association held several of these festivals on Main Street prior to 1914. The organization bought land from Samuel Heinicke with the intention of converting the property into a community park. In fact, the present day location of this land is the Ephrata Community Park. The location of this street fair was the section of Main Street between State Street and Lake Street.