Fairs and festivals are always in season in the Lehigh Valley.

Whether it’s classical and baroque music (The Bach Festival of Bethlehem), arts and crafts (Mayfair), theater (The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival), community fairs (among them, 38th Schnecksville Community Fair), Pennsylvania-German heritage (Kutztown Folk Festival), athletic competitions (Lehigh Valley SportsFest), classic and collectible cars (Das Awkscht Fescht), drum and bugle corps (46th Annual DCI Eastern Championship), United States’ biggest free music festival (Musikfest), hot rods and custom cars (Wheels of Time), Native-American heritage (43rd Annual Roasting Ears of Corn Festival), fine arts (Art in the Park), Celtic bands and contests (Celtic Classic Highland Games and Festival), to name quite a few, the Lehigh Valley has a festival or fair for all.

The grand-daddy of them all is The Great Allentown Fair, with the 171st edition, Aug. 30-Sept. 4, Allentown Fairgrounds, Allentown.

One might say that the Allentown Fair planted, so to speak, the seeds for fairs and festivals in the Lehigh Valley. But instead of the Mickey and Judy idea of “Let’s put on a show,” it was “Let’s put on a Fair.” Indeed, the Lehigh County Agricultural Society did, beginning in 1852.

The Allentown Fair was held every year except for, by my count, eight years: 2020, because of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic shutdown; 1942-1945 (World War II); 1917 and 1918 (World War I when the 46-acre Fairgrounds site served as Camp Crane, a United States Army Ambulance Service training facility, and 1862 (Civil War).

In 1852, the Allentown Fair was held at Fourth Street between Walnut and Union streets, and in 1853, at Liberty Street, between Fifth and Sixth streets, all in Allentown.

In 1889, the Lehigh County Agricultural Society purchased acreage at 17th Street, between Chew and Liberty streets, and it was renamed the Great Allentown Fair. The site included a one-half mile racetrack. In 1911, the present-day Grandstand was built.

The Covid knock-on effect on concert tours cancelations and rescheduling limited Grandstand shows for the 2022.

For 2023, the concert headliners came roaring back: Styx, Reo Speedwagon, Aug. 30; Tyler Hubbard, Aug. 31; Nelly, Sept. 1; Yung Gravy, Sept. 2, and Keith Urban.

The Fair ends with a bang on Labor Day Sept. 4: the annual J&J Demolition Derby on the main straight of the Fairgrounds Raceway.

This year’s theme for the Allentown Fair, “Home-Grown Fun,” certainly applies to displays, home-grown and home-made exhibits and culinary contests in the Agri-Plex; livestock under the Judging Tent on the Fair’s west side; free entertainment daily with the price of admission, and ticketed rides on the Powers’ Great American Midways.

The marketing folks at the Fair always seem to come up with great catch phrases for the Fair. One year, it was “Don’t leave summer without it.”

The Allentown Fair puts a capstone on the unofficial end of the summer season (Labor Day), ushers in the start of the school year, and heralds the pumpkin spice season, otherwise known as fall (first day of autumn is Sept. 23).

See you at the Fair.

Fair information

The Great Allentown Fair runs 4-10 p.m. Aug; 30; noon-10 p.m. Aug. 31-Sept. 3, and noon-9 p.m. Sept. 4 Labor Day.

Opening night Aug. 30 discount admission of $3 with canned food item for Second Harvest Food Bank.

Active military and veterans with IDs admitted free Aug. 31.

Free admission noon-2 p.m. Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.

Senior citizens (65 and over with ID) are admitted free Sept. 4.

The Great Allentown Fair has extended hours at its Main Box Office for the purchase of tickets for the six Grandstand shows, prepaid premium parking, advance discount tickets for all-day ride wristbands and advance half-price admission tickets to the Fair that can be used at entrance gates when regular admission is charged.

Allentown Fair Main Box Office, Allentown Fairgrounds, 302 N. 17th St., Allentown, Hours: 4 p.m.-9 p.m. Aug. 30; noon-9 p.m. Aug. 31-Sept. 3, and noon-6 p.m. Labor Day Sept. 4.

The Fair Box Office accepts cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

Show, ride tickets and half-price Fair admission are available 24 hours a day through Ticketmaster.com

Information: 610-433-7541; https://www.allentownfair.com