BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — The 2023 Bloomsburg Fair is over, and many of the vendors have already cleared out. Others were in the process on Monday.
Hewlett's Hot Sausage has five stands on the fairgrounds. Owner Bob Snyder says it was a good year.
"We packed up our trailers Saturday night, and then we came back yesterday and cleaned up around them. Today, we're taking them over to the Lycoming County Fairgrounds in Hughesville. That's where we store them for the winter," Snyder said. "We were worried after the first weekend with all the rain, but the fair really rebounded, and we had nice crowds the last four, five days."
The May family has three stands on the fairgrounds. They were busy taking apart their waffles and ice cream stand.
"It was decent. We lost the first weekend, but after that, it was pretty good," Rick May said. "We have about eight days to set up but three days to tear down. Everybody tries to get in as quick as they can and get out, so it's a little hectic."
The window of time is so small for vendors to pack up and leave because the Covered Bridge Festival is now held at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds rather than at Knoebels Amusement Resort. Organizers only have five days between the Bloomsburg Fair and Covered Bridge Festival.
"It has made difficulties for the people who have to get out of here. They used to have weeks to get out of here, and now they only have a certain amount of time to get out of here," said Cheri Bissinger, a board member of the Covered Bridge Festival.
Bissinger says around two dozen Bloomsburg Fair vendors stick around for the event.
The Covered Bridge Festival runs Thursday through Sunday at the fairgrounds in Bloomsburg.
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