Middletown Grange Fair Canceled Again Due To COVID Pandemic

WRIGHTSTOWN TOWNSHIP, PA — For a second year in a row, a fair that typically draws thousands of people each year will not be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Middletown Grange Fair started in 1948 as a project of Middletown Grange, an organization of local farmers, to raise 300 bushels of corn to an acre. The festival grew in popularity over the years with the addition of carnival rides, food and live entertainment and was expanded to five days in 1997.

Costs of running the fair steadily rise each year, organizers said, and reducing funding makes the task more difficult.

"It is with great sadness that we must announce the cancellation of the 2021 Middletown Grange Fair," organizers said in a statement. "While improving, the continued uncertainty of the pandemic leaves us in a position that threatens to compromise the foundation we have worked hard to establish. Without clear guidance from the government, we simply do not have the financial resources to continue to prepare for an event that may not safely or legally be permitted."

Under current social distancing restrictions in Pennsylvania, a 50 percent maximum occupancy rule remains in place, regardless of venue size and only if attendees and workers are able to comply with the 6-foot physical distancing requirement.

The 2022 fair is planned for August 17-21.

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