BLOOMSBURG-- After Mother Nature cancelled the Bloomsburg Fair last year, thousands turned out Friday for an extra day of games, fun and all the food.
Games, new attractions, and of course, the food.
The 157th annual Bloomsburg Fair is back and thousands of people filled the fairgrounds for the annual preview day, getting in an extra day of fun at a discounted admission price.
"It`s so family orientated. The food is wonderful. There`s so much to do, so much to see, the animals, things like that. It's just part of living in northeast PA," said Rich Angelo of Hazleton.
"We love the fair. We come to the fair every year. We were very upset last year when it didn`t happen, very upset, but it looks good. You`d never know there was anything wrong," added Ashley Longo of Shenandoah Heights.
One year ago, flood waters forced the cancellation of the fair for the first time in its history.
Now, about 1,200 vendors are back lining the fairgrounds. Some were still setting up Friday evening.
"It`s a lot of work. We`ve got to hook everything up, make sure it works, cover up the tables so it looks nice, clean things, and get our stock together and hope we have people and good weather," said Tami Stewart with Veon's Foods.
Vendors and fair-goers are all hoping for a great week.
"A lot of people depend on this money. It's a big money maker here, so it kind of hurt, but we're hoping to make up for lost time," said Jennifer Laidacker with Roan's Apple Dumplings. "I hope there`s lots of people here, since everybody missed it last year because of the flooding. I just hope everybody has fun and comes and gets a dumpling cause they`re really good."
With so much to try, it is good to have a game plan.
"I'm a big sweets eater so I came basically for candy apples, and chocolate covered strawberries and anything else that's sweet," said Kelly Fleming of Bloomsburg. "I`ll probably be here every day, not going to lie. I just like the food that`s here. So if I can eat supper here every night, then perfect. Saves on the dishes."
"We're going to eat our way through, starting at Gate 5, and play some games and have some fun," added Longo.
Gates open at 7 a.m. Saturday for the fair`s first official day. Admission is $8 this year, but kids 12 and under get in for free.
The fair runs through Saturday, September 29, so there is still plenty of time for people to come taste the great food and check out all the fair has to offer.