The 2018 Great Allentown Fair opened its doors to the public on Aug. 28 with its opening ceremony at the RCN Farmerama Theater.

With a promise of good times and food, excellent entertainment and quickly changing weather, this year’s fair, the 166th, was destined to be Great!

With the colors posted by the Lehigh Valley Composite Squadron 805, Civil Air Patrol, Egypt, the ceremony got underway.

Bev Gruber, president of the Lehigh County Agriculture Society was master of ceremonies.

The Rev. Chris Cocca, of Christ’s Church at Lowhill provided the opening invocation and the Christ’s Church choir sang the “Star Spangled Banner.”

Fred Strathmeyer, deputy secretary for Plant Industry and Consumer Protection with the state Department of Agriculture, shared warm greetings from the commonwealth and presented the “Friend of the Fair “award to Glenn Michael of Lower Macungie for his commitment to the fair.

Allentown Fair Queen McKenzie Hagenbuch described her joy of being chosen queen and the importance of agriculture to the Lehigh Valley after being introduced by Gruber.

Additionally, donors to the fair gave approximately $1,1000 each for the installation of decorative lanterns to be installed on the walls surrounding the fairgrounds.

The lanterns will lend an air of intimacy to the fairgrounds.

Donors Clarence and Nancy Jones of Lowhill Township were chosen by a drawing to light the first lantern at the opening ceremony.

An opening wouldn’t be complete without a ribbon cutting.

Handling the scissors was 2018 Allentown Fair Queen McKenzie Hagenbuch. Holding the ends of the ribbon were Allentown Mayor Ray O’Connell and Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong.

The ceremony ended with Christ’s Church at Lowhill choir leading the audience in singing “America the Beautiful.”