Vernon Gabrick’s legacy on the Grange Fair, rides to be told in new theatrical production

A one-of-a-kind music and theatrical production takes the Grange Fair Southside Stage this weekend, combining multiple art mediums to present a story of ingenuity, innovation and invention, all with Centre Hall roots. “Bright Toys of Summer” recounts the local history and impact of Vernon Garbrick, creator of amusement rides, and his family.

The show originally premiered in September 2022 and the Grange Fair performance will bring the tale alive for audiences for one showing only.

The production’s origins go back to 2019, when creator Julia Spicher Kasdorf attended a concert at The Workshop in Centre Hall. There, she first learned about the industrial space’s original owner, Garbrick, and his myriad inventions, including the one he’s likely most well-known for, the foldable and portable Ferris wheel. Intrigued, Spicher Kasdorf continued her research into Garbrick’s life and how his work influenced family-favorite events such as Grange Fair, where Garbrick Amusements continues to entertain crowds.

“I had this idea,” she said. “What if I created some kind of opera about this unlikely, surprising (person)?”

Spicher Kasdorf, who is an author, poet and creative writing professor at Penn State, pulled on her connections to bring her vision to life. She enlisted composer Bruce Trinkley to help with the music.

“(Trinkley) created marvelous and memorable songs from the lyrics I wrote, and they shape the entire performance. He also serves as musical director of ‘Bright Toys of Summer,’ so his hand is essential in the Grange Fair production,” she said.

Spicher Kasdorf also worked with two filmmakers, Pearl Gluck and the late Curt Chandler, to create multimedia elements of the production, as well as Philip Ruth, who helped curate historic photographs for the show. The production additionally received funding from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. The result is a multi-medium, multi-collaborator display that carries a message of creativity and positive change.

“(Audience members) will see footage of the erection of these amusement park rides. They’ll see (Garbrick’s daughter) Shirley ... talking about her family history, going back to the 1920s and the evolution of these portable amusement rides. They’ll see the interview process through these film clips, but they’ll also hear these really wonderful songs ... performed by very fine musicians. It’s something very unusual to see at the fair,” Spicher Kasdorf said.

Altogether, the show, she said, is intergenerational, interdisciplinary and a product of homegrown artistry.

Spicher Kasdorf’s favorite part of the show involves one of the songs, “Beauty School.”

“It’s about Shirley and how her father turned a garage in Pleasant Gap into a beauty shop for her, but it’s also about her turning flour, sugar and eggs into funnel cakes,” she said. “It’s about making and transformation ... making beauty and creativity.”

Happy Valley locals who make a tradition of visiting Grange Fair every summer will certainly pick up on the production’s nostalgic touches, but every audience member will likely walk away from “Bright Toys of Summer” with a greater appreciation for the people and personalities that make Grange Fair possible, from the inventors of decades past to today’s organizers and employees.

“I would love,” Spicher Kasdorf said of audience members leaving the show’s singular performance, “if they would (then) have knowledge of this history and also be inspired to make their own creations.”

Catch “Bright Toys of Summer” on the Grange Fair Southside Stage at 8 p.m. Aug. 19.