What should you eat at Grange Fair? We asked longtime attendees about their favorites

Whether it’s deep fried, piled high, stacked on a bun or in stuffed in a bread bowl, you’ll find lots of delicious food at the Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair. Activities and events run from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. through Aug. 26, so there are sweet and savory options for every meal.

From doughnuts, sticky buns and hashbrown bowls for breakfast to pizza, sandwiches and soup for lunch or dinner, the offerings are almost endless from dozens of vendors. Need a snack? A salty soft pretzel or crispy cactus fries will do the trick. And of course, there’s always room for dessert. Homemade ice cream, cotton candy and apple dumplings will tempt your sweet tooth at this year’s Grange Fair.

No matter if you’re a Grange Fair pro, or a first-time fairgoer, the rows and rows of food vendors can be overwhelming. So to help point you in the right direction, we asked some Grange Fair foodies about their favorites on Saturday. Here’s what they had to say.

Georgina Knepp of Bellefonte

A lifelong Grange fairgoer, we caught up with Knepp having lunch at the fair with three generations of family, including her son, daughter, their spouses, and her 3-year-old grandson, Logan. They all had different favorites for lunch, but were willing to share, making for a family-style feast you can only find at the fair.

“The breaded cauliflower is my favorite. My son’s favorite is DeFluri’s Pizza. My daughter-in-law’s favorite is the chicken corn soup in a bread bowl from Gunzey’s. My husband loves the sausage sandwich from Scott’s Roasting and Scott’s nachos. Really good, everything is really good,” Knepp said.

Nicole Shawley of Howard

Shawley is camping out at the Grange Fair this year. She started staying at the campgrounds about seven years ago, but has been attending the fair for more than 20 years. She has a few fair food favorites, including the strawberry shortcake sundae at Big D’s, the soft pretzel stand and the Mashed Piggy Bowl at Scott’s Roasting.

“I frequent Big D’s because Danielle, the owner, is a good friend who supports other local small businesses. She also employs local students to give them a positive start in the workforce. The soft pretzel stand and Scott’s Roasting are usually run by locals with bright smiles, and the food is just irresistible,” Shawley said.

Kristin Ieraci of Huntington

Ieraci has been coming to the Grange Fair since she was a little girl, and this year, she was able to bring her son, 18-month old Gabriel, with her for the first time. Gabriel’s favorite is the pizza, but Ieraci said she can’t choose just one favorite for herself. She enjoys both sweet and salty fair food.

“They’re all good, I’m not sure if there’s one specific thing I can pick out that is my favorite. But definitely the funnel cakes are good — there are loaded funnel cakes that we love. Any of the french fries are good, the cactus fries, especially, are great,” Ieraci said.

Carrie Clark of Philadelphia

Clark grew up in Centre County but now lives in Philadelphia. Her birthday always falls during the Grange Fair, so she makes it a point to come up most years to celebrate with family. While birthday cake may be the one thing not offered at the fair, Clark said she’s happy to swap out a cake for some of her favorite Grange Fair dishes that you can’t find anywhere else.

“I always get a Gunzey’s chicken pita, that’s what I start with. I love the peach dumplings with the cinnamon ice cream. I get the Orange Julius-type drink and then finish with Sunset Ice Cream. Those are my go-to’s,” Clark said.

Cindy Spotts of Julian

Spotts arrived at the fair early in the day and we caught up with her as she was having breakfast with her mother, Althea. Althea said she’s been coming to the Grange Fair for 50 years and Cindy has been going with her as long as she can remember. Cindy appreciates that the fair has a lot of meal choices, even early in the morning.

“We have sausage, potatoes, cheese and peppers. It’s really good. Another thing you have to get are the cactus fries. It’s like a potato that’s swirled and deep-fried. You can get cheese on it or put on different toppings on it like bay sauce and garlic,” Spotts said.

Megan Norris of Bellefonte

For Norris, the Grange Fair is a family affair. She spent the day at the fairgrounds with her husband, Rob, and their 15-month old son, Colt. She is glad the fair offers some kid-friendly food options, even for the littlest eaters. We caught up with the Norris family as they were taking a break from the action, enjoying a snack, and planning out the rest of their day.

“Colt eats just about everything, so he’s loving the soft pretzel. I’m sure he’d like Scott’s Roasting, we’ve had their food in the past and it’s always good. I think he’d eat just about anything at this point!” Norris said.

Mike Harrison of Huntington

Harrison drives up from Huntington County most years to enjoy the Grange Fair. We caught up with him while he was enjoying some hot, delicious pizza for lunch, but he says his sweet tooth always gets the best of him at the fair. In terms of his favorite, Harrison keeps it simple, saying any sweet treat will do.

“I like the sweets. Ice cream, funnel cake, anything sweet, those are my favorites,” he said.

Visit Grange Fair’s website for a full directory of concessions at this year’s fair.