MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — It's all hands-on deck at the West End Fairgrounds near Gilbert to get ready for opening day. From a fresh coat of paint to giving the stands a good clean- there's a lot of work to be done.
"We're mowing grass, cleaning buildings, getting benches out, tents going up, vendors coming in," said West End Fair President Peanut Greenzweig.
The Western Pocono Women's Club is just one of many groups preparing for the crowds.
"Everything we do here at the women's club stand during fair week goes back to the community. Our soups are homemade, and we spent five hours making all of the soups for the week," said Lisa Altemose with the Western Pocono Women's Club.
As soon as fairgoers walk through the gates, they will notice something new this year: Fair organizers are stepping up security.
Fair officials say they will begin using a new weapons detection system that people simply walk through.
"What that system is looking for is blades, barrels, and batteries with wires. Stuff like that, it is not looking for change in your pockets, it's not looking for your small little pocketknife you have," said Greenzweig.
Greenzweig says last year's fair drew nearly 130,000 people to the area, and keeping all of those people safe is the number one goal.
"It's just a security measure we thought we should have. We are trying to be proactive because of current events across the nation, events this size are going to this weapons detection technology," said Greenzweig.
The West End Fair opens Sunday at 2 p.m. and runs through August 24th.
For a full lineup of events, CLICK HERE.