My Fair Goshen Lady

There’s something about summertime in a small town—kids eating ice cream on the curb, sprinklers twirling in front yards, and the smell of funnel cake and cotton candy at a local fair.

While I’ve yet to have the chance to run through a sprinkler this summer, I did enjoy a rather large funnel cake while wandering around the Goshen County Fair (held from July 30^th to August 4^th benefiting the Goshen Fire Company).

The grassy fairground off Park Avenue in West Chester provided plenty of fun not just for kids but for adults too! While there were rides like the Gravitron (also called Alien Invasion), the Rainbow, and Music Express for those who like the fast spinning stomach-dropping rides, there were also the classics, like a carousel and a Ferris wheel for those of us who prefer the slower paced rides.

But if rides aren’t for you, you can head to the game booths to try your luck breaking plates, rolling balls, or throwing darts at balloons. I was the lucky winner of a pink two-foot duck stuffed animal and I’m mighty proud of it.

For those looking for a quieter experience, there was a different dog show every night, a team tug of war contest, and a dunk tank on the other side of the fairgrounds away from the bright lights and the hustle and bustle of the rides.

This was a right sized fair. While the fairground was large enough that (being the kid I am at heart) I was able to go on several rides and watch my young nephew lose at several of the game booths, the grounds were small enough for me to cover most of the fair in about three hours, not including my allotted funnel cake time.

A few words on food. While the scrumptious food provided was typical of the yummy greasy food found at fair grounds, you know the kind that you can smell from a mile away— cheesesteaks, hot dogs, sausage sandwiches, and cheeseburgers— what really stood out to this foodie was the “Fry Booth.” Not only did this booth have the usual fried food you’re looking for when you smell that savory sweet scent lingering in the air like chicken fingers and mozzarella sticks but they had fried Oreos, fried pickles, and even fried mac & cheese bites! I was in fried heaven!

Right around the time I made the laborious decision to go with the funnel cake as my fried food for the evening (excellent choice might I add) the live music was beginning to play on a open-aired stage right outside the food tents for guests to take a pause from the commotion and enjoy a simple tune under a sunset sky.

Trying to get out of the fair grounds was no problem at all either. While normally I am a pessimist when it comes to parking at large crowd events, the volunteers had a system that made getting in and getting out quick and easy and it was free! While I had a little trouble finding my car in the stream of vehicles- part of that just being my poor memory- the traffic to leave the parking field was a speedy and painless process.

As a person who has a tendency to avoid large crowds and having to park in open fields where it’s usually a free for all and law and order exists for no man, I found the Goshen County Fair fairly enjoyable. It’s the perfect event to attend if you’re looking for a stress free summer evening with outdoor activities that will remind you of the fairs you went to as a kid. Not only is it a fun time for the whole family but it also supports a good cause- our local firefighters! There’s something sentimental about a community coming together to support each other. For more information visit https://goshencountryfair.org/