JUST IN FROM THE YORK DISPATCH

Fair workers enjoy calm before the storm
PETER MERGENTHALER -- The York Dispatch



The York Fair isn't for introverts.
Navigating the crowded buildings and the most popular attractions, fairgoers are sure to bump into each other and maybe trade a few elbows.
But on Thursday night, the York Expo Center was a colorful, brightly lighted ghost town.
Empty rides towered over a barren midway, and unmanned games promised dozens of plush Spider-Men and Sonic the Hedgehogs to no one in particular.
Fair workers greeted and joked with each other, enjoying a final low-key night before the 10-day onslaught to come.
Food available: Most food stands were shuttered, but a few already were open for business Thursday night.
A stand called Here's the Beef & More, which offers hot dogs, sandwiches and refreshments near the Banquet Center, was up and running. Carolyn Smith and her husband, Don, have operated the shop at the fair for more than 30 years.
The Smiths opened the stand early to make sure they're prepared for opening day and to help feed fair workers, who were putting the finishing touches on several attractions Thursday.
The workers were in various states of undress after toiling outside on a sweltering September afternoon, with high humidity and temperatures that climbed into the 90s.
But rain forecast for the weekend could offer a reprieve.
"It'll put a damper on things," Carolyn Smith said, "but anything to break this heat."
A few feet away, Marty Ness was serving burgers at Mary's Famous Steaks on Thursday. Ness family has
operated the stand for 25 years.
"This is a good time to come to the fair," Ness said. "It's nice and quiet."
With the exception of a few low murmurs and occasional clangs from pipes and hammers, the evening was almost silent. Locals and otherwise: The Smiths will return nightly to their home in York Township. Ness lives in Red Lion.
But Brett Crouse of Kings Food Service traveled to the fair from Herrin, Ill., a trip of almost 800 miles. Crouse and other Kings workers will be operating stands selling taffy, funnel cakes and fried ears of corn behind the Grandstand.
They considered bringing tents and campers, Crouse said, but because of the distance, they're spending their nights at the Holiday Inn in West Manchester Township.
Kings treks to about 10 fairs per year, most of them in the Midwest, Crouse said. This is the company's first year at the York Fair, and making the decision to drive so far was a challenge, he said.
But after researching the fair and its history, "we found out what a wonderful fair it was," Crouse said. "Nostalgia we live for it."
Reach Peter Mergenthaler at 505-5439 or pmergenthaler@yorkdispatch.com.