St. Joseph County Grange Fair kicks off 172nd year

CENTREVILLE – The 2023 St. Joseph County Grange Fair started showing signs of life late last week, as the initial wave of campers, trailers and animals arrived Friday and Saturday.

By Sunday afternoon, the county’s most-anticipated annual event was well on its way to firing on all cylinders. Semi tractor-trailers loaded with rides and midway games rumbled onto the property early in the day and throughout the afternoon, completing the one-hour trek to Centreville from the Allegan County Fair.

By opening-day standards, Sunday was a relatively typical start for the 172nd St. Joseph County Grange Fair. Anticipated by many on the same level as opening day for baseball enthusiasts, the seven-day fair is expected to attract about 150,000 people.

Regan Noga, a 14-year-old Leonidas resident, said raising farm animals for the fair is a lot of work. But the rewards that work yields, she said, is worth it.

“I’ve been showing animals at the fair since I was, 8 or 9, and the best part about the fair is showing that you can put in the work and meet the responsibilities that go with raising animals,” she said.

Noga, an eighth-grade student in Colon, will be showing a steer, pigs and chickens this week. Her steer’s name is Pretty Red.

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Gabby Schlabach, a Centreville-area resident, is in her rookie year as a 4-H participant. She will be showing a calf, goats, pigs and chickens. Her 7-month-old calf, a milking shorthorn Heffer is named Emper.

“It’s hard work, yeah. It’s dirty work. We started bringing stuff in last week and started staying the night here since Friday,” she said. “But it’s fun because I really like being around the animals.”

Branson Hernandez, a fellow Burr Oak 4-H member, is in his 10th year as a 4-H member. He’ll age out of 4-H next year.

Hernandez said the hardest part about showing animals at the fair is the amount of work required every morning.

“There’s a lot of chores to do in the morning, but then you start getting ready to show your animal … that is a real rewarding experience because that’s what you work all year for,” he said. “After that you get to run around the fairgrounds with your friends, go on rides and eat fair food.”

Hernandez, 19, said his best memory of the fair was his first year in 4-H, when he won a showmanship award for the dairy cow he showed in 2014.

Outside of the barn area, Schoolcraft resident Brittany Emmons, brought her 7-year-old daughter, Aurora Trudell, to opening day to take in what Emmons called a great, local tradition.

“Opening day is always special,” Emmons said, as her daughter enjoyed a hot, soft pretzel. “It’s not Aurora’s first time to the fair, so she was excited to come here today and I was, too.”

Centreville’s Sharon Gieber said she’s been coming to the fair for decades and was happy to accept an invitation from longtime friends to attend Sunday. Gieber said her go-to food item is French fries, sprinkled with salt and a light coating of malt vinegar.

Gieber said her husband was unable to attend but she promised to take home an elephant ear, per his request.

“It’s fries when I get here and a corn dog as I’m leaving,” she laughed.

Speaking of elephant ears, Karyn Hoggard, and her daughters, 11-year-old Juliana, and 9-year-old Jen, took turns tearing away pieces of a cinnamon-sugar-coated treat.

Hoggard said she prefers opening day opposed to attending the fair later in the week. She did, concede, however, that she would be returning Monday for Super Kicker Rodeo.

Hoggard said she also enjoys visiting the St. Joseph County United Way Silent Auction.

“We’re huge supporters of the United Way and it’s always fun to put in some bids on opening day,” she said, noting Juliana’s favorite fair food is elephant ears while Jen prefers blue raspberry Sno-Cones.

The 2023 fair continues through Saturday. Tuesday is Education Day. It includes harness racing at noon, rides and midway games starting at 3 p.m. and Figure 8 Racing in the grandstands. It begins at 7 p.m.

A full schedule is available online at: www.centrevillefair.com.

This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: St. Joseph County Grange Fair kicks off 172nd year