The results are in: Here’s the best food stand at the Grange Fair, according to you
Centre County fairgoers have a sweet tooth.
Out of the dozens of food stands at the Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair, voters selected Sunset Ice Cream as their favorite concession stand in our nonscientific online poll. Sunset Ice Cream received 22% of the vote, with Scott’s Roasting following closely behind at 20%. Rosie’s Pierogies (9%), Helen’s Stand (8%) and Mr. Sticky’s (8%) rounded out the top five.
Sunset Ice Cream has been a family tradition at Grange Fair for decades. Owner Jane Pennington purchased the fairgrounds parlor — and two trailers — some 23 years ago and, although the founder has since passed away, Pennington still sources the ice cream from the founder’s wife, via a small company that shares her business’ namesake.
The parlor on the fair’s Sharer Avenue, known for its generous portions, offers cups and cones that start at $4, in addition to shakes, floats and sundaes. Two trailers also serve ice cream on Hartle Street — one for milkshakes and the other for cups/cones.
Customers can choose from 10 flavors, and peanut butter cup is the most popular.
Pennington said she visits a number of fairs and festivals in the summer and fall, but there’s a special place in her heart for Grange.
“The fair’s just such a tradition here,” she said. “And I do other fairs — and the people here are all just so nice because they’re from here (in the encampment). They’re not going to get in traffic; they don’t have to worry about when they’re going to leave. It’s a community for the week.
“That’s really what it’s all about.”
Pennington, who also serves as a judge in at least one fair event, says it’s the people that keep her coming back and motivate her husband to wait for the milk man until 3 a.m. every night. Some patrons will return every day to the parlor, which boasts a Little League theme this year. Other families use the parlor as a place to meet, or even reunite, with Pennington smiling while recalling how one extended family pushed two tables together Tuesday morning to catch up.
The spry owner proudly stated she’s kept prices steady for the last five years, in a nod to the Williamsport-area founder who stressed his ice cream should remain affordable for families.
Grange Fair has been a tradition for 148 years running, and Sunset Ice Cream has become a family tradition itself over the decades. It’s open from about 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and the last day of the fair is Saturday.
