Will the York State Fair move back to September? Officials are planning for the future

This year marks the fourth time that the York State Fair has been held in July , and some patrons wish it would move back to September.

Could it happen?

"Everything's on the table," York State Fair interim CEO Patrick Ball said Tuesday, as the event visions its future with an initiative called the York State Fair 2030.

The York County Agricultural Society is exploring questions. What should "America's Oldest Fair" look like in 2030? What could it resemble? What does the community want it to be in the next six years?

The nonprofit organization is conducting a survey of patrons to give their input on the current exposition, but it also asks: "How can we make your fair experience better?"

Life members of the society will be discussing a variety of ideas, such as how they double down on the fair's agricultural mission and if they might be able to go to zero waste, for example.

The 10-day event produces between 130 to 150 tons of waste, Ball said. Even if the fair is able to cut the amount of trash in half, it would have a significant impact on the environment, which has a direct correlation to agriculture.

In making decisions about the future of the fair, the society will be informed by data and will receive input from the community, stakeholders, life member and the board of directors, Ball said.

Hosting the York State Fair in July instead of late summer

For decades, the fair was held in September and opened on the Friday after Labor Day.

The agricultural society decided to move it to July, modeling it after other fairs around the country that are held during the summer months. It hoped to boost attendance as children are out of school.

The move to July was supposed to start in 2020, but COVID forced the cancellation of the fair that year.

Since the fair moved to July in 2021, some people in social media posts have continued to call for the return to September. They cite the heat as one of their concerns.

Diane Crews of Spring Garden Township is one who says it should be moved back.

"They would have so many more people again," she said Tuesday afternoon inside Horticulture Hall.

The date of the event is on the table, and no decisions have been made, Ball said. The board had said it would revisit the timing of the fair after about five years to see how it is progressing.

Part of the reason for the switch to July is that more entertainers are on tour in the summer than in September, Ball said.

On Sunday night, 14,000 people attended the sold-out grandstand show to see country singer Lainey Wilson perform, Ball said.

"We've got a really solid lineup this year on the grandstand," he said.

During the first four days of the fair this year, more than 100,000 people walked through the gates, he said.

"It's got to be a data driven decision — not an emotionally driven decision," he said.

Bringing local vendors back to the York State Fair

The York State Fair sold out its 225 vendor slots for this year. Nearly 100 of them are food, Ball said.

Ball, who grew up in York and attended the fair, wants to bring back or encourage more local vendors to become part of it.

Some of the classic vendors that patrons remember might not return. Organizations change and people retire, which is out of the control of the agricultural society, he said.

Lola's Hot Waffles and Ice Cream did not return this year because owner Judy Nace has retired the stand.

"... What we want to do is make sure we have an environment where people feel welcome" and that vendors want to be part of it, he said.

Currently, vendors pay a fixed rate for their space, which is based on the size, plus 17 percent of their revenue to the fair.

It's a shared revenue model, Ball said. The fair wants to sell quality products and see its concessionaires to do well. It allows the event to generate more income, but it's also incumbent upon the fair to have incentives, such as promotional days, to bring customers in.

Ball said he'd like to see a more ethnically diverse offering in the food at the fair. Maybe it could create an incubator model that would allow individuals to introduce their foods, and if it goes well, they could set up a stand the following year.

"I think that's a way for us to reach out to the broader community," he said.

Why the society is undertaking the York State Fair 2030 initiative

Earlier this year, the York County Agricultural Society and Harrisburg University of Science and Technology announced they are exploring a potential partnership that would bring a state-of-the-art agricultural research, education and demonstration site to the fairgrounds .

It's a collaboration among an international greenhouse designer, a national commercial grower, Harrisburg University and the York County Agricultural Society, Ball said. It would involve research, education, and demonstration of next generation agriculture on the fairgrounds.

"We're pretty excited about it because I think it can be real benefit for not only the York County Agricultural Society but also for the fair and the broader York community," he said, adding that York County has always played a lead role in agriculture.

No agreements have been reached at this time, Ball said.

If an agreement is reached, it will force the agricultural society to rethink the configuration and the layout of the fair, he said.

"So it only seems appropriate that we also rethink again what we want it to be," Ball said. "Let's envision it so that we can create it."

How to comment on the future of the York State Fair

Attendees can scan a code available around the fairgrounds to take a survey about the current exposition as well as the future of the fair.

The fair also plans to post a survey on the website so that the public can provide its feedback, Ball said.

It's going to be an inclusive process.

"We'll at least give people the opportunity to plug in if they choose to," he said.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Will the York State Fair move back to September? Officials are planning for the future