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PA State Grange to Hold 6th Annual Family Festival |
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For information contact: Carl Meiss, Public Relations Director Ph: (717)-737-8855 or (800)-552-3865 Email: publicrelations@pagrange.org |
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July 15 2009 |
See a complete schedule HERE RE: PA State Grange to Hold 6th Annual Family Festival More than 175 Grange members, families and friends will be heading to the Centre County Grange Fairgrounds in Centre Hall, PA tomorrow, Thursday, July 16, 2009 for the 6th Annual PA State Grange Family Festival. This year's Family Festival runs from Thursday afternoon, July 16 through Sunday morning Worship Service, July 19. The theme for the 2009 edition of the PA State Grange Family Festival is "Grange Circus-Carnival." The Festival is a time for Grange members, families and friends to gather for a relaxing long-weekend for fun, food and fellowship. Attendees have the option to participate in all or none of the organized events which will include tours of the Penn State Deer Farm, the Mermac Dairy Farm and Boalsburg Shoppes. Various workshops are scheduled around Friday's "Health Fair" sponsored by the PA State Grange Family Activities Committee. These will include "Cancer Prevention," "Massage Therapy," and a "Blood Drive" from noon to 5 P.M. Friday afternoon there will be a "Kids Pedal Tractor Pull" competition in the grandstand area for children ages 3-10. Friday evening, the theme of "Grange Circus-Carnival" kicks into high gear with competition in tent/RV decorating and a related themed costume contest. Prizes will be awarded for Best Decorated Tents, Best Decorated RV's and Best Costumes. Saturday workshops include "Horseshoes 102," "Herb Gardening," and "Planning for Retirement" with a Horseshoe Pitch tournament running from 10:30 - 11:30 in the morning. The PA State Grange Young Adults/Young Marrieds will join the Festival on Friday and will hold their coronation of the PA State Grange "Young Couple of the Year" on Saturday evening. The "Young Couple" is chosen through a competitive process which includes a written knowledge test about the Grange, interviews with judges and other criteria. They then represent the PA State Grange Young Adults/Young Marrieds throughout the Commonwealth in the upcoming year. The outgoing Young Couple is Christie and Joel Straub from Mercer County. Saturday evening will conclude with entertainment which will include a magician and cloggers as well as an ice cream social. The annual PA State Grange Family Festival is the brainchild of the PA State Grange President, Betsy Huber. Upon her election in the fall of 2002, she began to plan for what she envisioned as an ideal family activity for Grange members, families and friends...an opportunity for everyone to get together for a relaxing weekend of fun, food and fellowship. The Grange is the oldest family-oriented, agricultural and rural community-service organization of its kind in the country, having been organized nationally in 1867 and in Pennsylvania in 1873. Piggy-backing with the Centre County Grange Fair Encampment idea, Huber organized the Family Festival so that participants can camp in the large tents set up on the fairgrounds, bring their own RV or stay in a local hotel. This is truly a Grange event for "Children of all ages." [Media is welcome throughout the weekend]
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