SUMMIT STATION - As vendor carts and amusement rides rolled into the Schuylkill County Fairgrounds on Wednesday, volunteers checked schedules, clicked staplers and talked with great enthusiasm about tractor pulls, one of the highlights of next week's big event.
"It has a two-cylinder diesel engine and can pull more than 10,000 pounds," Matt Halabura, New Ringgold, said, referring to a vintage tractor which will be on display at the 31st Schuylkill County Fair, which begins Monday and wraps up Aug. 2.
The tractor is owned by Darin Brensinger, Orwigsburg.
The Antique Tractor Pull, a county fair tradition, is slated for the last day of the fair, with registration at 11 a.m., according to the fair's website at www.schuylkillfair.com.
"We think around 50 tractors will come out for that. But we're hoping for as many as we can get," said Matt's sister, Michelle, who is director of community relations at Schuylkill United Way, Pottsville.
"This will be the tractor used for the celebrity tractor pulls. We're hoping to have one of the county commissioners come out for that," Kim Morgan, secretary of the Schuylkill County Fair Association, said Wednesday.
This will be the 31st consecutive year the Schuylkill County Fair has been held. Meanwhile, it will be the 28th nonconsecutive year for the royalty pageant, according to the newspaper's archives.
This year, there are a total of 15 contestants, according to Jaclyn Hoffman, the 2007 queen of the Schuylkill County Fair, who has served as the fair royalty adviser since last year.
"This year, there are five candidates for Queen, six for Princess and four Little Miss. The deadline for registration was July 12," Hoffman said Wednesday.
"That's low," Rhonda Carl, Hegins, who was crowned the 2012 Schuylkill County Fair Queen and the 2013 Pennsylvania Fair Queen, said.
This year, she's the assistant to the fair president, Paul Kennedy.
"I think we're about five under the average, which is 20 candidates," Kennedy said.
Last year, Rachael Naradko, Port Carbon, was crowned Queen, Haley Obrzut, Mahanoy City, was named Princess, and Rebecca Lascala, Seltzer, was named Little Miss.
Every year, promoting the fair and the royalty program is a challenge. All the fair's volunteers and the royalty can do is work hard to introduce them to the public, Carl said.
"And I think our girls, the 2013 royalty, this year did a great job of being out in the public. They really are ambassadors of the fair," Kennedy said, as he was wielding a staple gun.
He was securing maroon fabric to a board, where photos will be displayed for judging.
"We're seeing more and more photo entries, which is really cool. I think it's because young people have cameras, and it's something they can do when they're out and about," Michelle Halabura said.
Traditionally, the weeklong event draws 23,000 to 25,000 people, as it had last year, Morgan said.
For a full schedule of this year's events, visit www.schuylkillfair.com. Updates are also available on the fair's group page on Facebook.
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Below are highlights of The 31st Schuylkill County Fair, which will be held in Summit Station from July 28 to Aug. 2.
July 26 - Entry Day
- 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Entries of General Exhibits
July 27 - Judging Day
- Fair closed
July 28 - M&T Pulling Day
- 3 p.m. Queen/Princess Contest, M&T Stage
- 4 p.m. Fair opens to public
- 6:30 p.m. Fly Fishing Demo, Schuylkill County Sportsmen's Association, Bear Creek Island
- 7 p.m. Shake, Rattle & Soul, 7 p.m., M&T Stage
- 7 p.m. Diesel Truck Pull, Ag Museum
- 8 p.m. Royalty crowning, M&T Stage
- 9 p.m. Tim Marchetto Show, M&T Stage
July 29 - Kids Day
-11 a.m. Fair opens to public
- 7 p.m. Gas Truck Pull, Ag Museum
- Twitty Fever Band, M&T Stage
July 30 - Treasure the Memories of Our Roots Day
- 4 p.m. Fair opens to public
- 7 and 9 p.m. Jesse Wade Gang, M&T Stage
July 31 - Dairy Day
- 4 p.m. Fair opens to public
- 6:30 p.m. Muzzle Loader Demo, Schuylkill County Sportsmen's Association, Bear Creek Island
- 7 p.m. Kevin Chalfant, M&T Stage
- 9 p.m. John Cafferty and Michael Antunes of The Beaver Brown Band, M&T Stage
Aug. 1 - Country Day
- 4 p.m. Fair opens to public
- 6 p.m. Yukon Gold Potato Cooking Contest, PA Preferred Culinary Connection
- 7 p.m. Kendall Phillips, M&T Stage
- 9 p.m. Exile, M&T Stage
Aug. 2 - Family Fun Day
- 11 a.m. Fair opens to public
- 6 p.m. Schuylkill County Idols, M&T Stage
- 7 and 9 p.m. "Ultimate Elvis" Brandon Bennett, M&T Stage
Source: Kim Morgan, secretary of the Schuylkill County Fair Association.