{"id":290423,"date":"2026-09-20T19:00:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-20T19:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/290423\/"},"modified":"2026-09-20T19:00:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-20T19:00:14","slug":"oley-valley-fair-closes-on-a-high-note-with-big-crowds-and-familiar-traditions-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/290423\/","title":{"rendered":"Oley Valley Fair closes on a high note with big crowds and familiar traditions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Operating a pedal tractor is harder than it looks \u2014 especially when you\u2019re a grown adult powering a steel sled stacked with 45\u2011pound weights.<\/p>\n

But on Saturday at the Oley Valley Community Fair, Kelsey Schlegel made it look almost easy.<\/p>\n

Schlegel pedaled 39 feet, 3 inches to win the women\u2019s adult pedal tractor pull on the fair\u2019s closing day, outdistancing her closest competitor by more than 3 feet. The Oley Valley High School graduate said she\u2019s been competing in pedal tractor pulls since childhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a competition for the whole valley,\u201d she said after receiving her blue ribbon. \u201cIt\u2019s the biggest competition \u2014 this and the hay bale throwing are the two biggest ones. Everybody comes around and they\u2019re just like, \u2018Oh, we have to compete.\u2019 It\u2019s fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event is simple in concept but punishing in execution. As the tractor moves forward, a weighted sled increases resistance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat bottom piece of the sled moves up as they go further and it creates more resistance, so it gets harder as you go further,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

By the 30\u2011foot mark, she said, \u201cit starts really trying to throw the brakes on you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schlegel credits years of familiarity \u2014 and some athletic background \u2014 for her success.<\/p>\n

\u201cI played softball and field hockey in high school,\u201d she said. \u201cMy parents and I have pretty much been doing this since I was little.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Fair Steeped in Tradition<\/p>\n

The pedal tractor pull was one of dozens of contests and attractions that filled the fairgrounds on Saturday, the final day of the fair\u2019s 79th year. Fair president Kevin Bieber said crowds rebounded after Thursday\u2019s opener, which came under the threat of rain.<\/p>\n

\"FairgoersFairgoers look over classic vehicles during the Oley Valley Community Fair on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday was packed,\u201d he said of Friday\u2019s turnout, adding that Saturday\u2019s sunny skies and low\u201170s temperatures set the stage for another strong day.<\/p>\n

Among the fair\u2019s signature events is the pumpkin weigh\u2011off, held the day before it officially opens. This year\u2019s heaviest pumpkin tipped the scales at 693 pounds, with nine adult entries and 17 youth contestants. Weather challenges reduced some growers\u2019 yields, Bieber said.<\/p>\n

Fairgoers explored revamped agricultural exhibits and a new America 250th decorated cookie contest. Best of Show went to Jena Moyer, a Twin Valley School District math teacher who entered on a whim.<\/p>\n

\"JenJen Readinger of Alsace Township points to her photo of her dog Jovie that won a ribbon in the domestic animal category of the photography exhibit at the Oley Valley Community Fair. (BIILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

One of her close friends planted the idea that she should enter a baking decorating contest because her baked goods always look so attractive.<\/p>\n

Her platter featured star\u2011shaped cookies in red, white and blue surrounding a centerpiece cookie piped with \u201cUSA 250.\u201d<\/p>\n

The annual photo contest drew numerous contestants. In the pet division, Alsace Township resident Jen Readinger decided to enter a candid shot of her Staffordshire terrier, Jovie, sporting an ear-to-ear smile near the campfire during one of her family\u2019s camping trips.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe looked to be just happy as a clam,\u201d Readinger said.<\/p>\n

Readinger said she has enjoyed photography since taking a class on the subject in high school but never took it beyond the hobbyist level. It was the first photo contest she has entered, and she got a ninth-place ribbon.<\/p>\n

Food, family and familiar faces<\/p>\n

For many, the food stands are as much a draw as the competitions. At a picnic table near the Eddinger Propane French Fries Stand, Lucas Daniels, 17, of Blandon waited for his father to return with fries before digging into a hoagie and burger.<\/p>\n

\"LucasLucas Daniels, 17, a senior at Fleetwood High School, digs into a serving of fries during the Oley Valley Community Fair on Saturday, (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)
\n\"KristinKristin Lutz and Jordan Mease, one of the pastors, supervise the New Life Bible Fellowship Church soda and ice cream stand at the Oley Valley Community Fair. (BILL UHRICH\/READING EAGLE)<\/p>\n

Daniels, a Fleetwood High School senior, said he\u2019s been coming to the fair for many years, a tradition his grandmother Donna Wenz remembers beginning with stroller visits.<\/p>\n

Nearby, volunteers from New Life Bible Fellowship Church staffed the ice cream and soda stand, a role they\u2019ve taken on for several years. Kristen Lutz said Thursday\u2019s rain slowed business, but things picked up considerably on Friday and Saturday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Operating a pedal tractor is harder than it looks \u2014 especially when you\u2019re a grown adult powering a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":290424,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[349,182,139,348,28,128,130,129],"class_list":["post-290423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-reading","tag-berks-county","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-oley-township","tag-pennsylvania","tag-reading-city","tag-reading-city-headlines","tag-reading-city-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=290423"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290423\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/290424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=290423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=290423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=290423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}