BLOOMSBURG - An empty container from Joe's Homemade Pierogies. A half-eaten apple dumpling with cinnamon ice cream from Bissingers. The delicious aroma of Vince's Cheesesteaks.
If you didn't know any better, you would think the Bloomsburg Fair had never been canceled, but on Route 11, several businesses have opened their properties to vendors for a smaller version of the popular county fair, which was canceled because of extensive flood damage. People such as lifelong fair attendee Shawn McShea couldn't be more pleased.
"It's like paradise. The stars aligned," he jokingly said.
McShea and his wife, Anitra, both 36, of Mountain Top, have been going to the fair every year since they met almost 15 years ago. Shawn McShea even joked that they shortened their honeymoon to attend the fair. They were looking forward to taking their 17-month-old son to see the animals.
Unfortunately, the Flood of 2011 caused significant damage to the fairgrounds, and the 157-year-old event was canceled for the first time in its long history. It would have opened Saturday, Sept. 24.
However, some vendors, who have surpluses right now, are selling their products at various parking lots along Route 11.
In the Renco Ace Hardware parking lot, patrons can find Vince's, Bissingers, Denny and Pearl's Pizza, Joe's Homemade Pierogies and DP's Apple Dumplings. In the Alexander family car dealership parking lot, there's Mr. Sticky's and Gunzeys. At Stolz Stove Sales parking lot, there's Jumbo Waffle Ice Cream, Cactus Taters and Ron's Fresh Squeezed Lemonade.
Started with John the Greek
It all started with John Koutoufaris, who set up his "John the Greek" stand along Route 11 to sell his food last week.
At Renco, co-owner Julie Lown said they are allowing the vendors to rent the space and use their electricity for free, as long as they donate what they would have paid in rent at the fair to flood victims in Bloomsburg. Renco owners encouraged the vendors to keep their profits, but donate more if they are able.
"It's for a good cause," Vince Cocca, owner of Vince's Cheesesteaks, said while cooking the meat for his famous sandwiches.
"The whole idea is not just to get rid of the stock, but help the flood victims, too," he added.
It would have been Cocca's 35th year at the fair, where 35 people would have been working for him and he would have made 35 to 40 percent of his income for the year.
"It's a big impact. It's not just what I don't make, but what my employees won't make either," he said.
Over the next week, Cocca anticipates he will make 10 percent of what he would have made at the fair, but said he's glad to be a part of what's happening.
"I hope what we do will help the community," he said.
Dale Peters, owner of DP Apple Dumplings and Funnel Cakes, was able to cancel his order for apples, but has plenty of funnel cake to sell.
"I'm very grateful. I'm grateful I'm not one of the victims, but I feel sorry for the people that were," he said.
With six years of fair experience, he said he would have sold 1,000 funnel cakes and 1,000 apple dumplings.
While the "mini-fair" is only a fraction of the size of the Bloomsburg Fair, Anitra McShea said, "It doesn't feel like fall without the fair."
Husband and wife were surprised at the size of the crowd of people walking around. In fact, there was a line for cheesesteaks, just as there would have been at the well-known fairgrounds.
"It's a fair feeling. It's not the same, but it will keep us until next year," Anitra McShea said.
"You still have the people, you still have the food smells, and it still feels like the fair on a smaller scale. It's more than I expected," said Shawn McShea.
The fair at Renco starts daily at 10 a.m. with no specific end time through Saturday, Oct. 1. Anyone donating at least $5 to the flood victims will receive 20 percent off anything inside the hardware store.