What’s Brewin’ at Yorktown Grange Fair Sept. 8-10
Photo Credit: Peggy Derevlany
“Progress with Preservation” is the official motto of the Town of Yorktown. In that general spirit, the Yorktown Grange Association each year pays tribute to its fertile history — such as century-old demonstrations of livestock — while continually enhancing the event with first-time features.
For 2017, the Grange welcomes the award-winning craft beer of local brewery Roscoe Beer Company.
Living up to its down-home theme of “A Family Fair Where Farm Meets Fun,” the Yorktown Grange Fair is a destination event that offers a colorful outdoor tapestry of carnival rides, midway games, live music on stage, and a variety of food and beverage for sale. At its core, the Grange Fair celebrates Hudson Valley’s agricultural heritage with livestock, produce, and flower exhibits, as well as other competitions, awarding numerous prizes in nine categories.
Because the Yorktown Grange Fair is one-of-a-kind, the three-day, throwback celebration of the Hudson Valley’s deep roots in farm culture continues to hold a special place in local lore as Westchester County’s only authentic agricultural and country fair.
Livestock Shows Are a Lively Family Favorite
The Grange Fair is a rare opportunity for people of all ages to admire close-up in the livestock area various breeds of cows, horses, goats, and sheep. The perennially popular livestock shows, on Saturday, Sept. 9, and Sunday, Sept. 10, include demonstrations in the Horse Ring of oxen and horse pulling, 4-H riding, and horse showmanship. In the Upper Ring, fairgoers can marvel at cow, goat, and sheep showmanship, as well as a costume class animal parade with all three of those species.
A schedule of the livestock events is on the Yorktown Grange Fair website (YorktownGrangeFair.org), and will be posted each day on site in the livestock corral.
A Grange First to Quench the Thirst
In a pointed departure from past practice, for the first time at the Yorktown Grange Fair, beer will be on tap, in a carefully controlled setting. Roscoe Beer Company, which was awarded “Craft Beer of the Year” by Taste N.Y., will sell pint containers that can be consumed only within designated areas of the fairgrounds. Those who purchase beer will be required to show ID on request, proving they are at least 21 years old.
Renowned for its reputation as a hub of fly fishing and camping, the town of Roscoe in the Catskill Mountains is nicknamed “Trout Town,” a proud label that the four-year-old Roscoe Beer Company has borrowed as the brand name of its beers. Roscoe Beer’s Trout Town brews include American IPAs, amber, brown, blonde and red ales, stout, and a Bohemian style lager (roscoebeercompany.com).
Another first for the Grange Fair is advance sales of general admission tickets to supplement its time-honored method of payment at the gate. Ticket prices are as follows: General admission — $6 in advance, $8 at gate; adults 62 and over, children 11 and under, and all students with valid school ID — $4 in advance, $5 at gate; children under 2 — free. Advance tickets can be purchased until Sept. 1 on the Grange Fair website YorktownGrangeFair.org.
On Friday, Sept. 8, adults 62 and over can enjoy a free meal served from 4-5 p.m., during which time the admission fee for seniors is $2.
Sold separately inside the Fair are tickets for the midway rides, which can be bought per ride, or as all-day wristbands for unlimited rides, which start at $25.
The 2017 Yorktown Grange Fair is open 4-11 p.m., Friday, Sept. 8; 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9; and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, Sept 10.
Grange Fairgrounds are at 99 Moseman Road, Yorktown Heights, N.Y. 10958.
More information is online at YorktownGrangeFair.org or by contacting the Fair office at FairOffice@optonline.net or (914) 962-3900.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
