Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
The fair must go on
Weather put a damper on Unionville Community Fair
EAST MARLBOROUGH >> Cloudy, damp, wet weather kept many people away from the 92nd annual Unionville Community Fair last weekend, but overall it was still a success, fair officials said.
“The weather didn’t cooperate the entire weekend, but we managed through it,” said Deb Deckman, fair president. “We had vendors cancel at the last minute. And we had no vendors Friday night, but the lip synch battle went on. And on Sunday, there were not as many activities for children and families.”
The weather even forced the cancellation of the Kennett Area YMCA’s popular Barnyard Olympics.
The fair featured live entertainment, carnival games, cow pie bingo, a mechanical bull ride, cooking and baking competitions, livestock displays, a dance contest, a scarecrow-making contest, a celebrity milking contest and much more. The fair’s farm show, in fact, has the largest display of community agricultural and home products, handcrafts and arts in Chester County.
Despite the weather, the little circus and the Pumpkin Chunkin, Deckman said, was a hit with fairgoers.
“The Tiny Home (exhibit) was a huge, huge success and we will have more of that next year,” Deckman said.
Beneficiaries of the Unionville Community Fair this year were the Longwood Fire Company, the Po-Mar-Lin Fire Company, and Kennett Area Community Service.
Last year, the fair was in jeopardy of closing because no one stepped up to fill the president and treasurer positions. But after a massive publicity campaign, Deckman of West Grove was elected president; Jeff Lewis was elected treasurer. This year, the fair had a manager, Pam Eppinger, to help volunteers.