Bradford County volunteers push to revive fairgrounds year-round, restore horse arena

Dozens of residents and volunteers at a Bradford County Fair Association organizational meeting called on county leaders and fellow board members to make the county-owned fairgrounds a year-round community resource and to restore the horse arena that once drew local competition and visitors.

Community members said reviving agricultural programming and school booths, expanding vendor opportunities and hosting cultural events will increase attendance and revenue. "My passion for the bench is to get the horse arena back," said Amanda Hardy, who described long family ties to the fair. "We need to bring back our vendors. We need to utilize building two…"

The push to expand the grounds' use followed repeated accounts from longtime volunteers who said the fair has lost community energy in recent years. Paul Huntley, who identified himself as president of the Swine Association for about a decade, said the fair "has really fell off the wagon for the kids itself," and urged the association to focus on youth involvement.

Speakers described specific ways to increase traffic: reintroduce a school- or classroom-based exhibit program in Building 3 so parents come to view students' projects; restore livestock and horse shows; recruit adults to supervise youth projects; and host a broader mix of events such as cultural gatherings, car shows and small vendor markets to use the site beyond the fair's 10-day run.

Caitlin Van Dusen, an agricultural educator, suggested reinstating the school booths she has seen at other counties: "That building's been underutilized… we need to reach back out to our school districts and bring those kids back in." Greg Alvarez and other longtime participants traced the fairgrounds' history back to earlier county and state arrangements and urged community stewardship of the facilities.

Several participants emphasized volunteer leadership. Roxanne, who described 37 years of involvement, said adult volunteers drive children’s participation: "It's the adults that's going to drive the kids… we need to stress to the adults how important it is to carry on the tradition." Joanne Hongkute, who identified herself as a state Department of Commerce employee and Bradford resident, offered grant-writing and workforce funding support she said she could provide.

Organizers and volunteers discussed potential revenue streams tied to a revived program: expanded vendor booths during events, rental of arena space for shows and competitions, and targeted grant applications. Participants also proposed phased capital projects such as a relocated or rebuilt arena near the barns and improved usage of fields and buildings to make the grounds usable year-round.

The meeting included a request to schedule a site tour at the fairgrounds and to bring drone photos and layout plans to the next meeting so board members could assess current conditions and plan priorities. Lizzie Whitehead, an extension office representative who said she is a nonvoting member, offered the extension office's technical support and asked members to coordinate with her team.

The discussion did not bind the association to any specific capital project; participants focused on priorities and volunteer commitments. The group agreed to form an executive committee to accelerate near-term planning and to develop a meeting structure to keep future sessions productive.

Community leaders said the fairgrounds can be made a source of county pride if volunteers, schools and agencies coordinate. "I think the fair could be great again," Paul Huntley said, urging the new board to build on past traditions while adapting facilities for more frequent use.