BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — This year's attendance numbers are very similar to 2019, but vendors tell us there are fewer employees on the fairgrounds. That makes things hard for the people working here.
St. John's Community Church had a stand at the Bloomsburg Fair for more than 100 years, but not this year. Instead, a sign hangs on the door saying the church group could not get enough volunteers to run the stand. It's a similar situation all over the fairgrounds.
"No workers," said John Koutoufaris. "I only have two workers; that's what I have for this stand."
Koutourfaris is better known as "John the Greek." He typically has 15 stands at the Bloomsburg Fair. This year, he has five because he could not get enough employees.
"The old days, people used to come in a week before, give us their names and phone numbers, and they work. We hire 10 to 15 kids."
Cactus Taters also had to cut down on the number of stands this year for the same reason.
"At the fair, you've got to be here from open to close, and you can't have just a couple of hours here or a couple of hours there. You need good, dependable help that's honest and dependable," Chad Schlemmer said.
The Bloomsburg Fair is halfway over, but "help wanted" signs still hangs outside Kohr's Orangeade. Like many vendors, Kohr's is hiring on the spot.
"They can still work Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, which would give them a great start on employment for next year," said Earl Bowersox-Foster, a manager for Kohr's Orangeade, adding that hiring is typically done before the fair.
"We've never had to do this. We've always had enough people apply."
Kohr's Orangeade has six stands at the Bloomsburg Fair. They are short-staffed but have been making it work.