CENTRE COUNTY, Pa — Three days into the Centre County Grange Fair, people from all over are coming to enjoy the fun. The fairgrounds provide over 1,000 permanent tenting sites that have been reserved by families for many generations. It remains the only tenting fair left in the nation.
"This campsite was given to my grandmother when they discontinued having large tents. Her tent used to be oversized because she had 16 children," Tina Allamon, a longtime camper, says.
"With her 16 children, she thought of this as a vacation, and there's an article that was in the local newspaper, where she moved in a week early back in the day. It says it's dated in the 1960s, all because she wanted to get away from all the kids and grandkids," Allamon says.
With a family so large, Allamon’s father was the lucky one who inherited this special camping spot.
"My dad used to move my grandmother into the fair because he was the only one who had a truck. Then as the other family members grew up, she decided because he had helped her the most and the longest, she would then give the tent to him. Out of my siblings, the four of us, it was the same kind of scenario. I stayed here, I stayed with my kids, I enjoyed it more, I was around, so he passed it to me," Allamon says.
Each year, the Allamons participate in the tent-decorating contest. Last year, they won second prize, and this year, they are celebrating 145 years at the Grange Fair in a very unique style.
"My daughter is turning 4 this week. She was born 4 years ago, so I had to leave the fair, which is a major issue to have her, so every year at the fair, we celebrate her birthday,” Nicole Allamon-Minear, Allamon’s daughter, shares.
“This year, she picked the unicorn theme, and it's also celebrating 145 years at the fair, so this is a fun way to celebrate both,” Allamon-Minear says.
"It's home for the week that you’re here," Allamon finishes.
The Allamons, along with other campers, will continue their tenting adventures for the next week at the Grange Fair.
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