138th Annual Gratz Fair, September 18-24, 2011

Posted By Norman Gasbarro on September 17, 2011

The 138th Annual Gratz Fair will be held at the Gratz Fair Grounds in Gratz, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, from Sunday, September 18, 2011, through Saturday, September 24, 2011.

The Gratz Fair, which was founded in 1873, had as its early participants, many of the returning veterans of the Civil War. It features, as it has over its many years of operation, a midway and carnival, stage shows, harness horse racing, and dozens of exhibits of livestock and farm products.

Once again, the Gratz Historical Society will have a featured display in one of the exhibition buildings. The subject of the display is always a closely guarded secret, but word has leaked out that it will have something to do with the Civil War, the sesquicentennial anniversary of the war, and the Civil War Research Project.

During Fair Week, the Museum and Research Library of the Gratz Historical Society will have normal hours on Wednesday, September 21, 2011, from noon to 5 p.m. Tours will also be available of the Museum. For tours, please arrive no later than 3 p.m., in order to get the full tour which takes approximately two hours. On Wednesday, September 21, the Fair Gates don’t open until 4 p.m., so come to town early and visit the Gratz Historical Society and Museum. For those who are unable to visit the Society on Wednesday, groups of five or more can schedule appointments on any day, by contacting the Society in advance.

Also available during Fair Week is the self-guided Civil War Walking Tour of Gratz. Separate posts on this blog have described more than ten Civil War Era sites in Gratz Borough in easy walking distance from the Fair Grounds. And, each day during Fair Week, another site will be added to the Walking Tour. The posts can easily be downloaded and used on the Walking Tour.

Some views of the Fair Grounds before the arrival of the annual Gratz Fair: