For our Inaugural Online Panther Press Edition, we unleashed our entire Journalism team upon the Preview Day of the 164^th Annual Bloomsburg Fair. Reporters spoke to food vendors as they scrambled to set up in time for the 2 p.m. official opening. We offer you an overview of what 18 reporters learned as they sought stands that served up everything from fair standards to the truly unique.

Talking to the man (and woman) in the stand

We began our day by interviewing vendors as they prepared for the upcoming week. Below we give information on some of the vendors that caught our attention.

Hartman’s Bar•B•Q Pit

From: Benton, Pa

Fair Location: 2^nd Street

Featured foods: $5 peach cobbler, $5 Mac and cheese, $10 sandwich with Mac and cheese and a drink

Owner: Joe Hartman, Lives in Benton

History: Hartman has been attending for 10 years, but the stand has been there since the 60s.

Standout details: Hartman’s food is made fresh rather than in bulk.

Stand Activity: Sells about 500 lbs of meat

Heaps Dinner Stand

From: Catawissa, Pa

Fair Location: Near the grandstand

Featured Food: The Kielbasa Burger- Famous Kielbasa topped w/ peppers, onions, and stone-ground mustard

Worker: Abbey, daughter of owners, part of staff

History: Heaps Dinner Stand has been at the fair for 72 years

Standout details: The stand is a family tradition and has home cooked food. “It’s not just stand in line and get your food to eat it’s a sit down like any regular restaurant.” She said

Bissinger’s Apple Dumplings

From: Bloomsburg, Pa.

Fair Location: Midway Street

Featured Food: Apple dumplings. $4 plain, $5 with ice cream, $6 with peach

Worker: Austin Bissinger

History: Bissinger’s has been at the Bloomsburg fair for 56 years.

Standout details: According to Austin, the quality of the food is their standout quality

Frank’s Famous Foods

From: Mount Caramel, Pa.

Fair Location: On D Ave. and 11^th Street

Featured Food: Deep fried Kielbasa, homemade kielbasa that is battered, fried, and served with horseradish. $6

Workers: Debby and Sparky

History: Been at the Bloomsburg fair since 2000

Standout details: Frank’s Famous Foods serves homemade traditional Polish food dishes.

Dom-N-Nick’s Concessions

From: Lewisburg, Pa

Fair Location: E Ave. and 3^rd Street

Featured Food: Hot Sausage

Worker: Mary Costagliola

History: Been at the Bloomsburg Fair for 3 years

Standout details: Dom-N-Nick’s are family oriented and family run.

Stand Activity: They expect to sell 250 pounds of sausage

Royer’s Fry Hop

From: Morrisdale, Pa.

Fair Location: Near the corner of 3^rd and East Avenue

Featured Food: Blooming Onions and Deep fried pickles

Worker: Dan Royer

Starr’s Apple Cider

From: Millville, Pa.

Fair Location: Corner of B Ave. and 3^rd street

Featured Food: Apple Cider, $.50 small, $2 large, $4 quart

Worker: Roger Starr

History: 42 years at the fair

Standout details: “The best apple cider at the fair.” Starr’s use only local products

Jackson’s Totally Twisted

From: Milton, Pa.

Fair Location: 11^th Street

Featured Food: Lemonade, $2-5

Worker: Co-owner Trisha Mathias

History: Jackson’s Totally Twisted has been at the Bloomsburg fair for about 11 years

Standout details: Jackson’s serves various flavors of Lemonade

Your Style Breakfast

From: Catawissa, Pa.

Fair Location: 5^th street

Featured Food: Grilled Cheese, $5-13

Worker: Lottie Neiswander

History: 3 years at the fair

Standout details: At this stand almost everything is fresh, and they serve any kind of grilled cheese

Mr. Sticky’s

From: Williamsport, Pa.

Fair Location: Near gate 5

Featured Food: Homemade sticky buns, $10-20 for a half dozen or dozen

Worker: Caleb Poorman

History: Around 12 years at the fair

Farmhouse Catering Company

From: Orangeville, Pa.

Fair Location: 2^nd street

Featured Food: Breakfast, average cost is $5

Worker: Traci Oman

History: First year at the fair

Loch’s Maple

From: Springfield, Pa.

Fair Location: Corner of 12^th St. and gate 3 entrance

Featured Food: Maple syrup dishes, prince ranging from $1.50-7

History: Been at the Bloomsburg Fair for 21 years

The Grilled Cheese Café and the Walkabout

From: Williamsport, Pa.

Fair Location: Lot 85 on Herb St. and 11^th St.

Featured Food (The Grilled Cheese Café): Gourmet grilled cheese, $5-10 per sandwich

Featured Food (The Walkabout): Walkabout, a stromboli-like Australian dish that is deep fried

Worker: Nick Cowles

History: Has been at the Bloomsburg fair for 11 years

River Hill Meats

From: Catawissa, Pa.

Fair Location: Herb St. and 11^th St.

Featured Food: Artisan Sausage

Worker: Becky Gallup

History: First year at the fair

Fearless journalists find fried food

You voted, so we tried it. Deep fried foods won the vote. We sent seven journalists to try and review nine deep fried food items. Several of these items came from Fried Specialties, a large vendor based out of Marian, New York. Owner Jim Hasbrouck has been bringing his stand to the fair for seven years. According to Mr. Hasbrouck, Fried Specialties is well known and can be found with a simple internet search, as they have been featured on Food Network numerous times. Several reporters started and ended their day at this stand, beginning with an interview and ending with two free dishes provided by Mr. Hasbrouck.

Fried Specialties: Deep Fried Pop Tart

Food Name: Deep Fried Pop Tart

Cost: $6, but given to us for free

Food Description: Your choice of Pop Tart, coated in homemade batter, fried, and coated in powdered sugar and chocolate syrup

Stand Name: Fried Specialties

Stand Location: Between C1 and C streets, on 10th street

Pros of Dish: Delicious, sweet, and unique

Cons of Dish: The powdered sugar can make it messy

Would we Recommend?: Yes

Fried Specialties: Deep Fried Cheese Curds

Food Name: Deep Fried Cheese Curds

Food Description: A large boat filled with hand battered cheese curds

Cost: $5

Stand Name: Fried Specialties

Stand Location: Between C1 and C streets, on 10th street

Pros of Dish: Amazing Cheese, good batter

Cons of Dish: Greasy

Would We Recommend?: Yes

Rickley’s Concessions

Food Name: Deep Fried Oreos

Food Description: A deep fried Oreo with a hard outside and a soft, creamy inside

Cost: $6

Stand Name: Rickley’s Concessions

Stand Location: At the corner of 7^th St. and F Ave.

Pros of Dish: Very tasty and sweet

Cons of Dish: The powdered sugar on top is messy

Would We Recommend?: Yes

Gage’s Concessions: Uncrustable

Food Name: Deep fried Uncrustable

Food Description: An Uncrustable dipped in batter, deep fried, and the covered in powdered sugar

Cost: $3

Stand Name: Gage’s Concessions

Stand Location: At the corner of 7^th St. and East Ave.

Pros of Dish: The powdered sugar was good

Cons of Dish: The powdered sugar does not taste as good when it mixes with the jelly

Would We Recommend?: Not particularly, however it wasn’t bad

Gage’s Concessions: Cookie Dough Oreo’s

Food Name: Deep fried cookie dough Oreos

Food Description: An Oreo covered in cookie dough and deep fried

Stand Name: Gage’s Concessions

Stand Location: At the corner of 7^th St. and East Ave.

Pros of Dish: The flavor was great

Cons of Dish: It was very greasy

Would We Recommend?: Yes

Blooming Onion

Food Name: Blooming Onion

Food Description: A big, sliced up onion dipped in batter and deep fried. Served with either ranch or Texas sauce

Cost: $7, $7.50 with extra sauce

Stand Name: Bloom Onion

Stand Location: Lot 98, at the corner of 10^th St. and B Ave.

Pros of Dish: It melts in your mouth

Cons of Dish: It is big and hard to eat alone

Would We Recommend?: Yes, especially when eating with a group of people

Funnel Cake

Food Name: Funnel Cake

Food Description: Deep fried pancake batter topped with powdered sugar

Cost: $6

Stand Name: Funnel Cake Stand

Stand Location: Corner of F Ave.

Pros of Dish: Getting to put as much powdered sugar on it as you want

Cons of Dish: It is not very original

Would We Recommend?: Yes

Potato Pancake

Food Name: Potato Pancake

Food Description: Big round hash brown fried until crispy

Cost: $1 for 1, $4 for 3

Stand Name: Potato Cake Stand

Stand Location: Next to the stage

Pros of Dish: It is cheap

Cons of Dish: Not very tasty or impressive

Would We Recommend?: No, it is not worth the time and money to find.

No Tricks with These Treats

Losing by only 3 votes, desserts came in second place in our school-wide poll. We sent out six journalism students to cover this topic and each covered a popular fair dessert.

Bissinger’s Apple Dumplings

Food Name: Apple Dumpling

Food Description: Apple dumpling with homemade vanilla ice cream

Cost: Without ice cream- $4; With ice cream- $5

Stand Name: Bissinger’s Apple Dumplings

Stand Location: Midway St.

Pros of Dish: Every apple dumpling is served fresh and hot

Cons of Dish: N/A

Would We Recommend?: Yes

Make Your Own Whoopie Pie

Food Name: Red velvet cake with teaberry filling

Food Description: Red Velvet shell with a teaberry filling

Cost: $5

Stand Name: Make Your Own Whoopie Pie

Stand Location: Near Gate 3

Pros of Dish: The flavor is incredible and the whoopee pie is delicious

Cons of Dish: The whoopie pies are huge and the filling can spill out of the sides

Would We Recommend?: Yes

Carper’s Soft Serve

Food Name: Twist ice cream

Food Description: Chocolate and vanilla ice cream swirled together in a regular cone

Cost: $2.50 for a medium

Stand Name: Carper’s Soft Serve

Stand Location: Corner of D Ave. and 5^th St.

Pros of Dish: The ice cream was creamy and refreshing with great flavor, especially the chocolate

Cons of Dish: The cone wasn’t that good, tasted slightly stale

Would We Recommend?: Yes, but in a dish

Dough Balls

Food Name: Cinnamon Glazed Dough Balls

Food Description: Ten deep fried dough balls covered in cinnamon glaze and served with or without powdered sugar

Cost: $5

Stand Name: Dough Ball Stand

Stand Location: Near the Grandstand

Pros of Dish: This dish has a great flavor and is made fresh in front of the customer

Cons of Dish: This dish is messy as the glaze and sugar gets everywhere

Would We Recommend?: Yes

Joe’s Mini Donuts

Food Name: Mini Donuts

Food Description: Mini donuts covered in fudge, peanut butter, and powdered sugar

Cost: $8

Stand Name: Joe’s Mini Donuts

Stand Location: At the end of C Ave.

Pros of Dish: The donuts themselves were great

Cons of Dish: The toppings were so sweet that I could not finish the dish

Would We Recommend?: Yes but order the donuts without toppings

Uncovering unique fair foods

While this wasn’t a part of our poll, unique foods are a fair staple, so we decided to cover therm. Four journalism students covered four different foods that were considered unique.

The Grilled Cheese Café: The Phantom

Food Name: The Phantom

Food Description: You can taste the a hint of pepper, but you can mostly just taste the ribeye. The bread was nice and crispy.

Cost: 10$

Stand Name: The Grilled Cheese Café

Stand Location: 11^th Street

Pros of Dish: The pork is so tender, it melts in your mouth

Cons of Dish: Messy

Would We Recommend?: Yes

Grilled Cheese Café: Mac and Cheese Grilled Sandwich

Food Name: Mac and Cheese Grilled Sandwich

Food Description: This dish is very cheesy.

Cost: $10.00

Stand Name: Grilled Cheese Café 2

Stand Location: Lot 35 5^th Street

Pros of Dish: It has good flavor

Cons of Dish: Very greasy and very messy

Would We Recommend?: Yes

The Beekeeper’s Daughter: Honey Soda

Food Name: Honey Soda

Food Description: Different flavors of soda made with honey: pumpkin spice, lemon mint, lemon basil, ginger hibiscus, and strawberry lemonade

Cost: 4$ for one bottle

Stand Name: The Beekeeper’s Daughter

Stand Location: 3^rd Street

Pros of Dish: Creative, tastes good

Cons of Dish: Could be sweeter & cheaper

Would We Recommend?: Yes

Clingers Fruit Stand: Pumpkin Cheesecake on a Stick

Food Name: Pumpkin Cheesecake on a Stick

Food Description: It is a pumpkin cheesecake on a stick with sugary toppings

Cost: 5$

Stand Name: Clingers Fruit Cups

Stand Location: Corner of 10^th Street and C Avenue

Pros of Dish: Sugar toppings were good and the crust was enjoyable

Cons of Dish: The cheesecake was a bit too cold

Would We Recommend?: Yes

Here’s the skinny on dieting at the fair 

Journalism Advisor Lauren Finnerty

As the reporters sampled all the deliciousness that people associate with the Bloomsburg Fair, I embarked on a different quest. I looked for the foods that would not totally wreck the diet that I have been on since last summer.

In the interest of honesty, though I researched diet friendly food, I am not claiming to have eaten those foods on Friday. My official story is that the stands were not yet open when I was conducting my research. (Therefore, I was *forced* to eat delicious, delicious Down Home Rice Pudding because it started serving a bit earlier than the healthier stands.)

A broth-based cup of soup is probably the best overall diet choice, and fortunately, there are abundant offerings from a variety of stands all over the food. Sadly, you should probably eliminate the “Eat the Bowl” stand that delivers the soup within its own bread bowl as well as the stands that offer clam chowder and other cheesy and creamy soups. However, there are plenty of soups ranging from Maryland Crab Soup at Nana’s Nook to the kettle-cooked creations at Bissinger’s and McCormick’s and many others.

As I am not on a low-carb or keto diet, I would probably choose a baked potato—and there are plenty of stands that sell them. Black Creek United Methodist Church (near the grand stand) offers tubers with three pats of butter—you wouldn’t *have* to use all three—for $2.50. You could make that choice even healthier by adding broccoli for 50 cents more, or make it delicious by adding Buffalo chicken for another $2.

Other less problematic options for dieters would include “Spedies,” marinated chicken breasts, offered on the other side of the grand stand. Numerous John the Greek stand locations offer Greek salads, and shish-ka-bobs with mushrooms and chicken.

I also would have happily ordered an ear of roasted corn by the time I left on Friday, but alas, I couldn’t find ones that were ready. I feel as though I owed it to the readers to report on whether the offerings were truly diet friendly or were slathered in butter and other “street corn” style goodness. And for that lack of reporting, I apologize.

For desert, I’d suggest a fresh fruit cup like the ones available at  B and 5^th, and figure that even a splurge in the chocolate covered fruit available at stands throughout the fair.

But seriously, fellow dieters, my best advice is to wear good walking shoes and to earn the extra “exercise calories” to indulge in the fair food that you really want. After all, you only get it once a year.