Westmoreland Fair features new wrestling event

From draft horses and demolition derbies to a new pro wrestling show, the annual event runs through Aug. 29.

By PATRICK VARINE
TribLive

Joann Logan has a special fondness for the annual Westmoreland Fair, beyond her years of volunteering and helping to organize it.

That’s because she met her husband there.

“I grew up around here, and I know quite a few couples who met here at the fair,” said Logan, who is the fair’s entry secretary. “We joke that it must have been around the manure pit.”

This year’s fair will run from Friday to Aug. 29 at the fairgrounds in Mt. Pleasant Township. In addition to the usual agricultural showcase, rides, delicious food and live music, fair organizers are adding a new event: wrestling.

On Aug. 26, East Coast Wrestling will stage a 7:30 p.m. show at the fair’s Peoples Grandstand Arena.

“We even have a personality from (sponsor radio station) Y-108 who’s going to participate,” Logan said with a laugh. “So that will be some new entertainment for us.”

Fan favorites like the Aug. 23 and 29 demolition derbies and the Aug. 24 Red Eye Rodeo remain on the schedule, as well.

On the farming side of things, Logan said fair of- ficials are excited to bring a group of draft horses to the grounds.

“They’ll be pulling carriages around, and one of the draft horses is a baby Percheron, a black draft horse who I understand loves to be loved on,” she said.

This year’s fair is also taking on the yearlong theme of celebrating America’s 250th birthday, including a “Lady Liberty” figure outside the fair’s main office created by a local artist.

In recent years, the fair’s timing has occasionally bumped up against the start of the school year in districts where many students from 4-H clubs and farm families regularly bring livestock and compete in agricultural judging.

“I know Hempfield starts Thursday, Latrobe starts this coming Monday, and there were several families who went to school board meet- ings to express their con cerns,” Logan said. “The fair’s timing is based on when Labor Day falls, and it’s as late as it’s ever going to be this year.”

Logan said the Pennsylvania State Fair Association, whose members represent more than 130 county and regional events, tries to coordinate so multiple fairs in neighboring counties do not overlap. Westmoreland Fair President Craig Lash is serving as the association’s president this year.

“One nice thing is that Mt. Pleasant (Area) School District is arranging to have shuttles available to bring kids who are showing animals from school to the fair either in the morning or afternoon,” she said.

On the food-service side, Logan said, it has gotten more difficult to find a con cession company.

“There are fewer of them each year, and it’s been hard- er to find one that will have the week of the fair open,” she said.

On Wednesday afternoon, however, there was no lack of concession stands being bolted together. Their workers will be joined by fair staff and about 200 volunteers as the fair kicks off at 4 p.m. Friday.

“I think what I enjoy the most is the people and the passion for agriculture,” Logan said.

Tickets to the Westmoreland Fair are $10 (early-bird admission is $5 before 2 p.m., rides not included), and tickets are sold separately for some events like the Aug. 22 motocross show, demolition derbies and wrestling matches.

The fairgrounds are at 123 Blue Ribbon Lane.

Find the full fair event schedule online at Westmorelandfair. com.