We may be locked into the uncertainty of safe-distance socializing during the current pandemic so we'll take a look into the past at one of the most popular elbow-to-elbow people events held around here for nearly three decades – The Upper Perkiomen Valley Community Fair.

Victor Ensminger, East Greenville High, and later, Upper Perkiomen High School Agriculture Inst- ructor, organized the first Community Fair and managed it  for all 28 years of the events existence.

            It began on November 16, 1938 when the first three night even was held at Realty Hall in East Greenville.  The fair was sponsored by the Vocational-Agriculture Department of East Greenville High School, supervised by Victor Ensminger.

            At the time it was called the Upper Perkiomen Valley Farm, Home, and Community Fair and featured numerous cultural, vocational, educational, agricultural, and home exhibits.  A highlight of the fair was the photography exhibit.

            Behind the stage of the hall was the poultry exhibit of the junior and senior high school students.

            The East Greenville High School Band, under the direction of David Croll, provided the entertainment on opening night.

            There were 334 exhibiters at the first fair and cash prizes and ribbons went to the finest in the many categories.

            The success of the first event laid cause to the formation of the Upper Perkiomen Valley Community Fair, Inc. to run the event.  It also didn't take long for

Program books from the Community Fair showing the various locations where it was held throughout the years.  As the successful event grew, so did the need for more room.  In the final year of the Fair, a crowd of 13,000 visited what was billed as "Montgomery County's only agricultural fair."

it to outgrow Realty Hall and by 1943 the event was moved to the grounds of the East Greenville High School.

            The old East Greenville High School became the Upper Perkiomen High School and is now the Upper Perkiomen Fourth and Fifth Grade Center.  What was once the site of the annual Community Fair now contains a school addition and a parking lot.  The three-day fair moved to September, usually after the Allentown Fair, enabling local exhibitors to participate in both.

            In the early days of the Upper Perkiomen Fair, three large tents were erected on what was once a hockey field.  One contained the finest and shiniest new automobiles from local dealers.  It was a natural since the new car season was just beginning.  The next contained local merchants displaying the latest in appliances and other modern conveniences.  The third was reserved for livestock.  The school auditorium was used for fruits, vegetables, and canned goods.  Classrooms were used for other exhibits.

            All year long, people would plant, prep, brush, and clean for the early autumn affair.  The fun of competing for blue ribbons and bragging rights made all the hard work worthwhile. For years the Community Fair was a mainstay in our Valley.  It was a place where local residents brought their finest fruits, flowers, and vegetables from their garden to be judged.  Farmers and youth clubs brought their finest livestock to the tents and temporary corrals to show off and compete.  The carnival atmosphere brought all of the communities of our Valley together for fun and friendship.  The fair brought out spirited, but friendly, competition among neighbors.

Victor Ensminger, Agricultural Instructor, in the classroom at the East Greenville High School.

            This local fair was billed as an event to bring farmers and merchants together for a public display.  The directors of the Upper Perkiomen Valley Fair Inc. operated by the wisdom that "the happiness, well-being and success of every farm and home in the Upper Perkiomen Valley depends upon the integrity and code of ethics pursued by farmers and merchants alike."

            In 1949, the Fair drew record crowds and exhibitors.  More than 3,000 visitors enjoyed 1,400 exhibits during that year's event.   One of the most popular exhibits was the "Hobby Show."  Seventy-four people took part in the display that included an angel orchestra whittled from wood, old-time mechanical organs and music boxes, soap figurines, dolls, stamps, pennants, collections of newspaper headlines, and the fruits of many more pastimes!

            The fair continued to grow in popularity as a yearly attraction.  By 1953 the areas' school districts joined together.  What was the East Greenville High School became the Upper Perkiomen High School.  What didn't change was the location of the Upper Perkiomen Valley Community Fair.  It continued there until the late 1950's when it moved to the grounds of the Pennsburg Civic Building.  The big tents were still used to house the farmers and merchant's exhibits, and the gymnasium was a fine place to display the produce, hobbies and other exhibits.

            During the later years of the fair, it was expanded to four-days.  It included an antique show in the basement of the Civic Building, along with exhibits of crafts and handiwork from area Girl and Boy Scout Troops, Brownies, and Cub Scouts.  Garages along West Side Alley in Pennsburg were converted into food and game stands for the benefit of a number of local non-profit groups.

            Art exhibits featured the talents of students from all grades in the Upper Perkiomen School District.  You could take home a blue ribbon for anything from baked goods to homemade soap.  In 1959 first place in one of the canned fruits or vegetable categories would net you 50 cents.  But it wasn't about the money; everyone was after that blue ribbon. 

            The first thing many local residents saw on a new contraption called a television was the great fall classic, the World Series, presented to them at the Community Fair.  This and all of the newest in home appliance technology were on display at the fair by local merchants.

            At the end of each fair, an auction would be held to sell off the produce that was submitted for competition.

            In addition to all of the regular exhibits, the 1966 show featured an antiques show in the basement of Pennsburg's Civic building with 17 dealers exhibiting.  A midway of carnival rides, supplied by Bill Nonweiler of Lehighton, was pleasing to all the younger attendees.

            The Fair also featured music each night, including the Red Hill Band and the Upper Perkiomen High School Band, along with free chest x-rays to anybody over 21-years-of-age.

            The popular event was even advertised in the nationally circulated "Billboard" magazine.  It was hailed as "Montgomery County's only Agriculture Fair."

            More than 13,000 people visited the fair in 1966. 

            In June of 1967, an announcement was made that the fair would be cancelled for that year because a replacement for Fair Manager Vic Ensminger (a position he held since the event's inception) could not be obtained.

            After an extensive and exhaustive search, no replacement could be found.  The Fair never returned.

            In 1969, the 14 directors of the Upper Perkiomen Community Fair Association voted unanimously to disband and to donate their remaining funds towards the purchase of an electric organ for the auditorium of the brand new Upper Perkiomen High School in Red Hill.  The also voted to donate any remaining tables, chairs, lights, and other equipment to the Upper Perkiomen School District.

            The Community Fair was a place where local residents brought their finest fruits, flowers, vegetables to be judged.  Farmers, and youth clubs brought their finest champion livestock to the tents and temporary corrals to show off and compete.  Crafters brought their finest works to be displayed and judged.  The country-fair atmosphere brought all of the communities of our Valley together for fun and friendship. 

            The fair brought out spirited, but friendly, competition among neighbors.  Its rural theme helped to project, and remind us, who we were back then.