Preparations for the annual Lackawanna County Heritage Fair are underway at Montage Mountain Resorts in Scranton as the four-day fixture of late spring in Northeast Pennsylvania returns this week.
It opens Thursday at 4 p.m. and runs through Sunday, offering families and other fairgoers access to the resort’s popular waterpark, unlimited carnival rides, live entertainment, a rich assortment of food options and more for the modest price of admission.
The weather should also cooperate for much of the four-day fair, with higher temperatures forecasted Thursday through Saturday ahead of a slight cool down Sunday, AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex Duffus said. Temperatures touching the upper 80s most days should be especially good news for fairgoers eager to enjoy the waterpark attractions.
“It’s going to be a pretty dry week,” Duffus said. “By the time we get to around Thursday and Friday you are going to see those temperatures start to creep up. On Thursday we’ve got a high of 87. It’s going to be sunny to partly sunny, so it’s going to be a nice day but getting a little bit warmer there. And then on Friday … we have intervals of clouds and sunshine with a high of 89.”
Saturday’s high is also expected to reach about 87, continuing the trend, though Duffus said there is a chance of an afternoon thunderstorm and showers breaking up the mostly-dry day. High temperatures Sunday, the last day of the fair, are likely to linger in the upper 70s and could near 80, but “there will be a chance of some pop-up showers and a thunderstorm on Sunday as well,” he said.
While less-than-ideal weather in prior years sometimes put a damper on the fair, organizers are encouraged by this year’s forecast.
“Where the weather is concerned, we lit every novena candle we could get our hands on,” Lackawanna County Fair and Recreation Authority Chairman Armand Olivetti joked Tuesday. “Well any outdoor event, but the fair in particular because of the waterpark, is completely weather-dependent, so it’s great news to hear that the weather is going to be inviting for people to come up and take advantage of the waterpark.”
“And that’s the reason why we have the fair up there,” he continued. “To give families a chance to come up and for a decent price enjoy a waterpark as well as the rides and the food and the entertainment.”
In addition to waterpark access, a unique element of and major draw for the fair since its inaugural year in 2019, this year’s edition features a new carnival vendor, Sunshine Shows LLC of Middleburg, and a “spectacular” Saturday evening fireworks show to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary this year. It will be the second pyrotechnic show in as many nights, as the fair will feature fireworks on Friday night, too.
Friday’s entertainment schedule also includes a free “Heritage Heatwave” wrestling event running from 6-8 p.m., another new addition to the fair that complements other offerings.
“We try to mix it up and have something there for everybody,” Olivetti said.
Thursday’s opening day will be the shortest, but could prove the most affordable for families on a budget seeking some midweek fun. A special deal offering four Thursday tickets for just $40, a discount of $5 per ticket, remains available online via lackawannacountyheritagefairs.com or montagemountainresorts.com.
Standard admission at the gate is otherwise $15 on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, and $20 on Saturday, which has historically been the fair’s busiest day. Presale tickets are also available online for any of the four days.
“We make a conscious effort and a deliberate decision every year to hold that ticket price as close as we can to $15 so that families can come out together and enjoy the benefits of a day at the waterpark, good food and entertainment, and to take the kids up to the carnival grounds … for the rides,” Olivetti said. “If you get six hours at the pool and three or four hours on the rides you’ve had a great family entertainment package right there.”
Fair hours run Thursday from 4-10 p.m.; Friday from noon to 10 p.m.; Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Waterpark hours end two hours before the fair closes each day.
More information is available online via the fair’s Facebook page and its website, lackawannacountyheritagefairs.com.