BLOOMSBURG -- With the cost of admission, parking, rides, games and, of course food, the Bloomsburg Fair can get expensive, especially for families. But there are some ways to pinch pennies at the fair. You just have to know where to go.
It costs $8 to get into the fair, $5 to park, and that doesn't even include food, rides or games. But what if we told you there is a stand here at the fair where you can feed a family of five for less than $10?
The line is a long one at Sunset Hot Dogs at the Bloomsburg Fair.
"The line's been like that ever since the fair opened. You look around the fairgrounds; a lot of the stands don't have lines at all because of their prices," said John Fritz of Sunset Hot Dogs.
The price is right for dozens of hungry fairgoers, like Laura Davis of Bloomsburg. She came with a group of seven people which gets expensive.
"We scouted out the places where things are very good but don't cost very much. The hot dogs here are $1.50 for a footlong, 35 cent sodas, 50 cent waters."
"You can't get it any cheaper. I've been doing it for 25 years," Fritz said. "We buy right and we pass it on to the customer."
If hotdogs aren't your food of choice, R&S Diner offers a reasonable meal, too.
"We do a meal deal, two slider burgers, fries and a drink for $3 on a Frisbee. It says fun at the fair," said Tammy Royer of R&S Diner.
When you have kids, rides and games are almost a necessity at the Bloomsburg Fair, but they can really put a dent in your wallet. You just have to know where to look for the most inexpensive games. Skeeball is only 25 cents.
The Bloomsburg Fair also offers lots of free entertainment throughout the days, everything from animals to Newswatch 16 reporters on unicycles!
Getting back to the food, the Stamm family from Selinsgrove has some tips on how they save money while at the fair.
"What we like to do is buy one portion, split that and go to the next stand. Maybe buy fries, that way we don't over eat, but when we leave we feel mighty full," said Dave Stamm.
"That's kind of a nice way to have a taste of everything but not spend double," Sue Stamm added.
It is nice to save money, but some fairgoers tell Newswatch 16 they are not concerned with their spending this week because the Bloomsburg Fair only comes once a year and they want to splurge!