The Lackawanna County Heritage Fair will return to Montage Mountain Resorts in June for its sixth year, offering fairgoers access to the resort’s waterpark, a carnival midway and more for the price of admission.
Opening June 4 and running through June 7, the fair also will feature a special Saturday evening fireworks show June 6 to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary this year. A new carnival vendor, Sunshine Shows LLC of Middleburg, replaces longtime vendor SwikaS Amusements following the retirement of the third-generation owner Stephen Swika III.
Standard admission at the gate is $15 on June 4, 5, and 7, and $20 on June 6, Saturday generally being the fair’s busiest day and the most expensive for organizers. Families and other prospective fairgoers also can take advantage of a special ticket deal for June 4, the fair’s opening and shortest day, and secure four tickets for just $40.
Young fairgoers enjoy a teacup ride during the opening day of the 2023 Lackawanna County Heritage Fair on Montage Mountain. The fair is returning to Montage Mountain Resorts in June. (FILE PHOTO)
Children less than 3-feet tall will be admitted for free on any of the four days.
Fair hours will be: June 4, 4-10 p.m.; June 5, noon to 10 p.m.; June 6, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and June 7, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Waterpark hours end two hours before the fair closes each day.
The fair has become a late-spring staple in the region, with Montage Mountain Resorts having hosted the family friendly event since the inaugural fair in 2019. It returned in 2022 following a pandemic-prompted hiatus in 2020 and 2021. The waterpark reliably serves as a major draw while making the fair one of the best deals for families seeking affordable fun, Lackawanna County Fair and Recreation Authority Chairman Armand Olivetti said.
“Anywhere in the country, nobody else as far as we can determine includes admission to a waterpark as part of the admission to the fair,” he said.
While the fair opened the week of Memorial Day most prior years, this will mark the second consecutive year it kicks off a bit later.
“We’re looking at moving the fair back into the first or second week of June on a permanent basis,” Olivetti said. “This is going to be our second trial year at it because the weather is better, and … as more schools are ending their scholastic year in early June it makes it easier for families to come out to the fair.”
Organizers are also highlighting a new fundraising opportunity this year that will allow local nonprofit organizations to sell general admission tickets to the fair and keep a $5 commission on each ticket sold. Individuals and nonprofits can also contract with the fair to sell sponsorships for a 15% commission. Anyone interested in pursing those opportunities can contact organizers by emailing lackawannacountyheritagefair@gmail.com.
Olivetti, who has been involved with the fair since its inception, reiterated that the goal is to celebrate the county’s heritage and highlight what it has to offer while providing an opportunity for family fun.
“Obviously we’re trying to celebrate our heritage,” he said. “What we’re trying to do is to show people what we have locally that’s available to them, and the fair is part of selling our heritage but also giving families the opportunity to come out and for a very reasonable … price enjoy a day at the waterpark, a day at the carnival, all kinds of food (and) continuous live entertainment.”
The fireworks show celebrating America’s semiquincentennial is part of the heritage piece, Olivetti said.
“But what we’re trying to do here is also give our people something to be proud of and to look forward to year after year, as a defining cultural event in the county,” he said.