877 Uniontown Road
Phillipsburg, NJ
908-859-6563
Family Tradition and the Warren County Farmers’ Fair & Hot Air Balloon Festival
By Giulia Grotenhuis
For those not familiar with the Warren County Farmers’ Fair, it is a nostalgic event that happens annually, from Saturday to Saturday, the week of August 1st. Normally sandwiched between a popular hot air balloon festival on hiatus for 2024, and a large music festival in Lehigh Valley, PA, the event can easily be overlooked. It’s a place that makes visitors feel like they have traveled back in time before cell phones and selfies were a thing that consumed people. In fact, until a few years ago, online tickets and credit card machines at the gate were unheard of. The organizers are like a family that has its ups and downs, but when a storm hit the Fairgrounds two weeks before the 2023 event, they all pulled together. Family, friends, neighbors, and local businesses worked as a team to get the Fairgrounds dried up, cleaned up, and prettied up for its 85th year.
The event has roots back to 1859, but the Warren County Farmers’ Fair Association was officially created in 1937. This year the Warren County Farmers’ Fair is celebrating its 86th year. If
you are quick at math you might be saying, “That math doesn’t add up.” That’s because of 2020. (Do we really want to talk about that year?) Only positive things grew out of the experience for the Warren County Farmers’ Fair. The year the Fair shut down, local balloon pilots and organizers saw no reason to let indoor restrictions stop this outdoor activity. Long-time sponsor, Warren Community College in Washington, New Jersey, hosted the event, with the blessing of the Fair Directors! The College highlighted its expansive Drone/Robotics/AI program at the Fair. They welcomed the balloon festival for what was thought to be a smaller, one-time event to bridge the gap in years and keep the Fair on people’s minds. This bold move, however, expanded the Fair. Today, Warren County Farmers’ Fair boasts three hot air balloon festivals. Two of the three events happen on the grounds of Warren Community College and help promote Warren UAS – a program that prepares students for high-paying jobs in multiple industries.
The Warren County Farmers’ Fair has changed with the times. Over the years, the Fair has reduced its focus on agriculture, perhaps due to less farming and more demand on farmers for time. They have added related events like truck pulls and demolition derbies. Car and truck shows complement the tractor pulls that run multiple days during the week. They have added musical entertainment with both rock and country performances. They have invested substantially in building the Kids’ Corral, where children enjoy shows, crafts, entertainment, and more, all at no charge to visiting families. Organizers have done all of this while keeping admission low and affordable-and with free parking!
Much like the addition of the hot air balloon festival, all these events provide something appealing to all types of people. Visitors travel from hours away now, starting new family traditions. By expanding its offerings while staying true to its agricultural roots, the organizers of the Warren County Farmers’ Fair have been able to continue to deliver 86 years of Family Tradition! They look forward to seeing you from Saturday, July 27 to Saturday, August 3, in the town of Harmony, in beautiful Warren County New Jersey.
