BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — The 165th Bloomsburg Fair would be kicking off on Friday, but as many know, the unofficial "State Fair of Pennsylvania" was canceled this year because of the pandemic. That doesn't mean you can't get a taste of tradition.
The fair food is the same, but the location is very different. Vendors lined up along Route 11 on Thursday from Berwick to Bloomsburg to sell some fried favorites.
"Just to be able to get some of the food because that's one of the big draws of the fair, seriously," Ruth Whitenight of Berwick said.
"It's a huge tragedy for the community that the fair had to be canceled," Annette Thatcher of Bloomsburg said. "I just hope that everyone can get some kind of profit and some kind of joy from the Route 11 Fair, I'm calling it."
Vendors who spoke to Newswatch 16 were devastated when the Bloomsburg Fair was canceled because the fair means big business.
"Terrible. Your knees start shaking, and you pray to God, you can find a little bit of work," John Koutoufaris of John the Greek Food Concession stand said.
Vendors we spoke to said they will be lucky if they can bring in 75 percent of what they usually make at the fair.
Seivers Pit Stop Grill set up shop in the AMC parking lot in Scott Township near Bloomsburg. About 100 customers stopped by on Thursday. Owner Shelby Seivers said that is just a small fraction of the customers she usually gets at the fair.
"A daily basis at the Bloomsburg Fair, you're looking at, you know, 50-80,000 people on a good day. So, I mean, I'll take our 100 people who are here," Seivers said.
Food vendors along Route 11 will reopen Friday at 11 a.m. through 8 p.m. They plan on sticking around through October 3.