By Marilyn Odesser-Torpey
So you have to be a grown-up for 360 days of the year … but not from Tuesday through Saturday, August 17-21. That’s when the 40th Annual
Perry County Fair will turn the tiny town of Newport, about a half hour north of Harrisburg, into not just a place where you can bring the kids, but a place where you can be one again.
After all, how can you feel (and act) like an adult when you’re watching the sun go down from the back of a carousel horse, rooting for your favorite real racing pony or finding yourself up to your eyeballs in milk and whoopie pies? (Lighten up — it’s a contest!) There’s a queen to be crowned, rockets to be launched, carnival rides to be ridden and lots and lots of chili to be taste tested. If you feel like singing and dancing, there’s a contest for that, too.
Where else would you see lumberjacks and stockmen showing off their skills or tractors on parade? And how could you not want to see a musical comedy act that calls itself, “The Outlaws and Crazy Elmer”?
Admission is free; parking is $5. As for the amusements, you can pay as you ride or come any evening from Tuesday through Friday from 6 p.m. until closing or Saturday evening from 4 p.m. until closing and ride yourself silly all night for just $15.