In 1852, the Lehigh CountyAgricultural Society launched the first of what would become a long-running Lehigh Valley tradition, the annual Great Allentown Fair. The first fair, which was held from October 6 to 8 that year on land east of Allentown's Fourth Street, between Union and Walnut streets, was followed up the next year on a plot of land located between Fifth and Sixth streets and north of Liberty Street, which had recently been purchased by the society and transformed with the construction of a ticket office and two-story exhibition hall, where fair attendees roamed on September 28, 29 and 30, 1853. An increasingly successful event, the annual fair continued to attract an audience but, in 1862, was cancelled due to the Civil War and the conversion of the fairgrounds into a training camp for the 176th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. The Great Allentown Fair then resumed operations in 1863, continuing on until 1917 when the United States government converted the 46-acre grounds into Camp Crane, a training facility for the U.S. Army Ambulance Service, paying the agricultural society $37,0000 per year for its lease. Named in honor of Brigadier-General Charles H. Crane, who had served as surgeon general of the U.S. Army from 1882 to 1883, the camp was home to anywhere between 4,000 and 5,000 men at various points in time during World War I.
Current attractions
The Allentown Fairgrounds currently operates multiple attractions, including:
Grandstand - A large outdoor stage where big-name musicians perform
Farmerama Theater - An amphitheater where talent contests are held and assorted daytime entertainment takes place
Music Tent - A tent where bands perform when an area as large as the Grandstand is not needed
Main Entrance Plaza - An area where special shows, such as juggling acts, are held
Agriplex/Agriland - The fair's agricultural-themed areas
During the rest of the year, the area beneath the grandstand, and an adjoining building, together host an indoor farmers' market, usually open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, but also open additional weekdays before and/or after major holidays. The Agriplex buildings also host a wide variety of events throughout the year, which are listed separately on the fair's Web site.
