The Westmoreland Fair has three days left in its run, and organizers are closing out the 72nd edition of one of the county's biggest annual events with a lineup that mixes century-old traditions with a brand-new attraction: professional wrestling.
The fair, which is one of the biggest events in Westmoreland County each year, according to CBS News Pittsburgh, runs nine days total, from August 21 through Saturday, at its fairgrounds on Blue Ribbon Lane near Greensburg in Mount Pleasant Township. As reported by WPXI, this year marks the 72nd annual staging of the fair.
The event typically draws between 60,000 and 65,000 visitors, with roughly 10,000 competitive entries submitted by 900 exhibitors. WPXI's reporting notes that a 200-person volunteer workforce makes up 98% of the fair's staff, handling everything from organizing livestock shows to running the non-profit food booths that keep the grounds running.
Wrestling Joins the Grandstand Lineup for the First Time
For today, organizers added something new to the schedule: a pro wrestling show presented by East Coast Wrestling at the People's Grandstand Arena, marking the first time wrestling has been featured at the fair. TribLIVE reports the event included participation from a local radio personality, a novel addition to a lineup that has historically leaned on livestock and motorsports for its biggest draws.
The Grandstand Arena itself dates back to 1990 and offers covered seating for more than 4,600 spectators. Per the Mon Valley Independent, the venue hosts the fair's marquee ticketed events, including demolition derbies scheduled for August 23 and Saturday, plus the Red Eye Rodeo that ran on August 24. Grandstand tickets are sold separately from general gate admission.
A Nod to the Nation's 250th Birthday
Beyond the entertainment additions, the 2026 fair adopted a yearlong theme celebrating America's 250th anniversary. The theme is represented by a custom-built Lady Liberty figure created by a local artist and displayed outside the fair's main office, prominently placed near the administrative headquarters on the grounds, according to TribLIVE.
General gate admission runs $10 per person, with an early-bird rate of $5 available before 2 p.m. that excludes rides. The gate price covers general admission, parking, midway rides, and access to the livestock exhibition barns, though grandstand shows like the demolition derbies require additional tickets.
School Calendars Collide With Fair Week
Fair week increasingly overlaps with early academic start dates in local school districts, including Hempfield Area and Greater Latrobe, prompting farm families to petition school boards over attendance policies for participating 4-H youth. The Mon Valley Independent notes that 4-H members spend months raising market animals that require full-day attendance during fair judging, creating friction as the fair's late-August dates increasingly bump up against the opening weeks of the school year.
Winners in judged culinary categories, including blue-ribbon apple pie, chocolate cake, and angel food cake, qualify to advance to statewide competition at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, a pipeline that TribLIVE has noted spans exhibitors from young children to nonagenarians.
No Tax Dollars Behind the Operation
Unlike many county fairs, the Westmoreland Agricultural Fair Association operates independently of Westmoreland County government and receives no taxpayer funding. The organization relies on a 21-member volunteer board and off-season facility rentals, including craft festivals, expos, and holiday light displays, to fund operations and property upkeep, according to the fair's own account of its history.
That self-sufficiency traces back to the fair's founding in 1954 by local farmers and businessmen, who first held a three-day fair at Idlewild Park before acquiring the permanent 170-acre farm in Mount Pleasant Township in 1957. In that first year on the new property, the association reportedly built a temporary tent city before constructing the permanent barns that anchor the grounds today.
With three days remaining before the fair closes for the season, the mix of century-old agricultural judging, a new wrestling show, and the ongoing scheduling tension with area schools leaves the 72nd Westmoreland Fair closing out much as it opened — busy, volunteer-run, and stretching to fit both old traditions and new ones into its final stretch.
