‘We’re finally able to be back together.’ State College teen crowned Grange Fair Queen
A crowd gathered under the Southside Stage at the Grange Fairgrounds during a heavy downpour with three girls on stage in evening gowns could only mean one thing: The 2021 Centre County Grange Fair Queen was about to be crowned.
Three candidates from across Centre County took place in the traditional coronation event on Wednesday evening. Mattee Stoicheff, 16, a State College Area High School student from State College, Roselyn Weaver, 18, a Susquehanna University student from Philipsburg and Hailey Bucha, 17, a Bald Eagle Area High School student from Clarence, gave their speeches and answered an impromptu question to the crowd as part of the competition.
Stoicheff was crowned queen, while Bucha was named first alternate and Weaver was named second alternate. This is a shift in queen practices, Ashley Furman, Centre County pomona grange master, previously told the Centre Daily Times. Instead of just the queen and first alternate helping with fair-related duties during the fair and the following year, each contestant will be part of the Alternate Court this year.
Stoicheff will take the reigns from Morgan Bair, who served two years due to the pandemic canceling the 2020 Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair and queen events.
In her speech, Stoicheff talked about all the fair has to offer and why it is so vital to the community.
“It’s not just for all the apple dumplings and walking tacos, although that is a plus. For the past 147 years, the Centre County Grange Fair has been a place for family and friends to get together to share and create new memories, support local businesses, exhibit talents, and help promote and improve the agricultural industry,” she said. “Once you enter one of the four gates at Grange Fair, you are not only entering the largest fairgrounds in the state of Pennsylvania or the only remaining tenting and encampment fair in the nation, you’re entering one big family.”
She touched on last year’s cancellation and that because of it, fair traditions have become more valuable to fairgoers.
“As we enter the 147th year of the Great Grange Fair, these traditions become even more valuable to us. After a year of little to no normalcy, we’re finally able to be back together, enjoying all of our favorite traditions with even more excitement than ever,” Stoicheff said.
The Grange Fair officially starts Friday and runs through Aug. 28; it will be a week full of entertainment, rides, agriculture, food and more. A complete schedule can be found at grangefair.com.
