The Greene Dreher Sterling Community Fair Association got its start over 100 years ago. In 1917 school teacher Miss Ella Nevin established the fair as an opportunity to showcase her students’ handiwork. The goal was to promote the agricultural lifestyle and educate the surrounding communities about farm life and the valuable skills that can be utilized in everyday living.

Since that first year, the Greene Dreher Sterling Community Fair, commonly known as the GDS Fair, has long since grown into a real, honest-to-goodness country fair with all the glitter, glamour, and noise added to the homey down-on-the-farm kind of exhibits. It’s an event for the whole family.

Locations

The Fair was originally held at an old “Community Hall” in Newfoundland. Later, it was moved from there to the Newfoundland school. Finally, the Fair had its own home on the GDS Fair fairgrounds.

Fair Dates

The first few fairs were held after the schoolyear had started. Later, the Fair became a seven-day fair held just before school started. At that time, the last day of the Fair was Labor Day. As the Fair became more popular, the dates were shifted once again. Today, the GDS Fair is held over the ten days prior to Labor Day each year. The last day of the Fair is always the day before Labor Day.

Fairgoers

The Fair was originally just for families of the school children. When it expanded, it was open to residents of Greene, Dreher, Lehigh, and Sterling townships. As travel became easier, it was open to all residents of Pennsylvania. Today, the Fair is open to anyone who wishes to attend.

Fair Cancellations

It is extremely rare for the GDS Fair to be cancelled. One of those times was in 1955 when Mother Nature closed up shop on the Fair. There was ten feet of water over the Fairgrounds and all of the buildings and supplies. It was a total disaster. There was only one building that wasn’t destroyed, the present-day BINGO Hall. It floated 200 yards downstream lodging against a bowling alley, which in turn had been washed 20 feet from its foundation. Our poor hot dog stand floated downstream until it hit a bridge and was broken into pieces. Most recently the GDS Fair had to be cancelled in 2020 because of the Coronavirus global pandemic. The GDS Fair Directors always have our fairgoers’ safety in mind.

Volunteers 

Ever since that first exhibition, generations of families, community individuals, and area businesses have contributed countless hours to the annual success of the GDS Fair. Those volunteers make the GDS Fair what it is every year. We are thankful and humble for the amount of support we receive each year.

Today

The GDS Fair is currently a ten-day fair focused on showcasing the talents of a diverse population. We look forward to welcoming back old friends and meeting new ones. See you at the fair!