Think you can’t eat around Centre County’s Grange Fair for $25 or less? Here’s how we did it

Different people go to the Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair for different reasons. But almost everyone who goes eats there.

With some souvenir lemonade tankards starting at $10 and one stand selling chicken wings for nearly $20 a dozen, it’s not always easy to eat there on a budget. So, armed with $25, we decided to see just how much we could make that budget stretch.

Our mission: Find at least five items for a total of $25 or under, including one sandwich/entree, two snacks/appetizers, a dessert and a beverage. We didn’t just settle for cheap, already-made foods; we hunted for fresh, homemade items that could equally satisfy the food snob, the hungry and the budget-conscious.

Here’s what we came up with at the fair that runs through Aug. 24:

Snack/Appetizer

What we got: Hand-rolled pretzel (garlic) from Dutch Country Concessions

Price: $6

Where to find it: Cherry Tree Row

Other considerations: Cactus potato from Ron’s Cactus Taters ($8 small), fresh-cut fries from Wiser Fries ($5 small)

What has just five ingredients, comes from an old Amish recipe and is typically served within 5 minutes of being made?

That’s right. It’s a hand-rolled pretzel from our first stop, Dutch Country Concessions.

The Lancaster County business, established in 1991, is co-owned by sisters Carmalena Stoltzfus Iyengar and Chanel Neff. They took the mobile part of the business over in 2021 from their mother, who was raised Amish, and they’ve been part of the Grange Fair since around 2006.

The pretzels come in three flavors — regular, cinnamon sugar, garlic — and each pretzel is homemade with flour, sugar, water, salt and yeast. Even the flour is locally milled in Lancaster County.

Carmalena didn’t once break stride Friday as she hand-rolled the pretzels while carrying on a conversation.

“We’re proud because it’s a very simple recipe and so many things are made today with extra processing,” she said. “Everything’s fresh here. We mix our dough here, we let it rise on top of the oven, and we make them as we go.”

Think of it as an upscale, tastier Auntie Anne’s pretzel. We stuck with garlic — but the co-owners’ mother handed out free samples for those wondering about the other flavors.

Sandwich

What we got: Pulled pork sandwich from Scott’s Roasting (original location)

Price: $8

Where to find it: Hartle Street

Other considerations: Beef brisket sandwich from Doan’s Bones Barbecue ($10), fresh breaded cajun catfish sandwich from Crabby John’s ($10), hot sausage sandwich from Gunzey’s Hot Sausage ($9), hot sausage sandwich from Hewlett’s Hot Sausage ($9)

There’s nothing original about choosing a popular food from a local 30-year-old business — but you don’t mess with tradition.

Scott’s Roasting has long been a fair favorite because the freshness (and flavor) of its pork is unequaled. For years now, George Scott and his family have annually raised more than 1,000 pigs over 540 acres just outside Bellefonte.

“They’re born on the farm, they’re raised on the farm, and the only time they leave is to go to the butcher shop to be federally inspected,” owner George Scott said. “Then they’re brought back, and we have a commercial kitchen where we process everything.”

George operates the original food truck near the barns, but three others are set up next to each other on Grange Fair’s Delaney Avenue — and are operated by George’s wife, son and daughter-in-law. Every stand is a little different, with one of the Delaney stands offering a new “Fat Hog” burger this year — which includes a half-pound sausage burger, cheddar cheese, bacon, ham and salami topped with french fried onions and buttermilk ranch.

Call us old-fashioned, but we’ve always been impartial to the traditional pulled pork sandwich with everything on it: BBQ sauce, horseradish sauce and cabbage slaw. It’s the most expensive item we purchased during our mini-Grange Fair food tour, but it was worth it.

Snack/appetizer

What we got: 4 regular pierogies from Rosie’s Pierogies

Price: $5

Where to find it: East Rhone Avenue

Rosie is 93 years old this year, but you won’t find her serving pierogies behind the stand. That duty falls to her granddaughter Ashley Hamilton and co-owner Greg Nau, who also operates Canyon Pizza.

Ashley has run the stand for 12 years, taking the original recipe from her “Bubba,” which is Slovak for grandmother. But she’s also added a few new twists to the old recipe, so customers have their choice between the traditional and the New Age.

We went with the traditional, which is simply cheddar and potato. But we were on a budget. Other options at the $5 price include bacon pierogies and jalapeno pierogies. (Parmesan sauce is a $1 add-on.)

“Funnily enough, she actually loves the jalapeno pierogies,” Ashley said about her Bubba.

Customers interested in something a little different can try the specialty pierogies, which aren’t available at every fair appearance by Rosie’s Pierogies. The Old Bay Lobster Sauce pierogies (4 for $8) actually start with lobster and scallops cooked down in butter and garlic, with the Parmesan sauce used as a base. The Morel Mushroom Sauce (4 for $9) is even rarer since morels are difficult to find.

We might have to return, armed with a few extra dollars, to try those specialty sauces.

Dessert

What we got: Regular sticky bun from Mr. Sticky’s

Price: $5

Where to find it: Sharer Avenue

Other considerations: Small dish of peanut butter cup ice cream from Sunset Ice Cream ($5), glazed doughnut from Amish Donuts ($5), fudge puppy (fudge-covered Belgian waffle on a stick with toppings) from Ruble’s Concessions ($5), 2-foot licorice rope from Timbo’s Licorice Ropes ($6)

The origin of Mr. Sticky’s made-from-scratch sticky buns comes straight from the Grange Fair.

When Phil Poorman owned the Boarding House restaurant at the fairgrounds, before 2000, he began making homemade sticky buns. He never imagined the response.

“We had a breakfast buffet, and we started putting them on there and people would come up and tell us how they really liked them — and they weren’t anywhere near as good as they are today,” Phil said. “And that gave me an idea.”

Phil went on to open two Mr. Sticky’s storefronts, four food trailers and even began franchising his business. He was worried longtime customers might walk past his trailer this year — because he’s using a larger one now at the Grange Fair.

It might look a little unfamiliar, he said, but the sticky buns haven’t changed a bit. No mixes are used, he said, and everything is homemade.

Just like with Rosie’s Pierogies, we kept it simple since we were on a budget. But you can add cream cheese or peanut butter icing for an extra dollar, and a walnut sticky — as opposed to a regular sticky — will set you back $6. (Cinnamon buns are $5.)

Beverage

What we got: Bottle of water from G&M Concessions

Price: $1

Where to find it: Corner of Boone Street and McCormick Avenue

A small stand, set up next to the G&M food trailer, was selling canned soda and bottled water for $1 each — and we can pretty confidently say you won’t find it for any cheaper at Grange Fair.

If you don’t want to skimp on the beverages, you don’t have to walk far to bump into a stand serving lemonade. Other beverage options around the fair include root beer floats, milkshakes, bubble tea, coffee, smoothies, etc. But if you’re just simply looking for soda or bottled water, it was difficult to find many places at $2 and under.

G&M Concessions, which is also known for its fried fruit pies, was the only exception we spotted where both soda and water were $1 each.

Summing up the trip

If you don’t like carbs or calories, our trip probably wasn’t for you. But let’s be honest: If you were concerned with carbs or calories, you probably shouldn’t be eating at a fair anyway — especially one that features multiple stands serving deep-fried Oreos.

• Snack: Hand-rolled pretzel (Dutch Country Concessions) for $6
• Snack: 4 regular pierogies (Rosie’s Pierogies) for $5
• Sandwich: Pulled pork sandwich (Scott’s Roasting) for $8
• Dessert: Regular sticky bun (Mr. Sticky’s) for $5
• Beverage: Bottled water (G&M Concessions) for $1
• Total spent: $25

This story was originally published August 19, 2024 at 5:20 AM.