Berlin Brothersvalley 84th Fair showcases a variety of displays

Sandra Lepley
Updated ·4 min read
Volunteers Carissa Bahner, Carrie Croner and Amy Brant check-in decorated pumpkins and gourds during entry day Wednesday at the Berlin Brothersvalley Community Fair.
Volunteers Carissa Bahner, Carrie Croner and Amy Brant check-in decorated pumpkins and gourds during entry day Wednesday at the Berlin Brothersvalley Community Fair.

BERLIN ― Once again, the 84th Berlin Brothersvalley Community Fair has anything and everything from massive pumpkins grown locally to specially decorated cakes to miniature farm scene displays.

"There is a community enthusiasm for this event," said Emaline Diehl, superintendent of the flower department along with Ken and Carol Miller. "From the flowers to the garden varieties to all the crafts and the youth departments, this fair is an annual homecoming where people can get recognition for what they have grown or made."

Brad Flick, president of the fair board, said the day's entries on Wednesday were steady all day with more items coming through the doors during the afternoon and after-school hours. He said the Berlin Fair could never be such a successful event if it wasn't for all the volunteers who man the stations for entry day on Wednesday and then help out at all the events.

More: 84th annual Berlin Brothersvalley Community Fair a harvest homecoming

The fair, which runs until Saturday, is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday with a musical production presented by Katie Spiri at 7 p.m. at the high school auditorium. While the gymnasium is open from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m., when fair exhibits are removed, Saturday includes a pet parade at 10 a.m., pedal power pull at 2 p.m. and the farm tractor pull at 4 p.m. at Clearway Energy across from Fetch-N-Go feed mill.

For brothers Garrett and Gavin Waydo, 12 and 9 years old, respectively, of Fairview Road, Berlin, entering a miniature farm scene display served as a great way to display some of their collections. They are the sons of Brian and Stephanie Waydo.

Garrett says that they like farm equipment and while they don't actually live on a farm, they are surrounded by a lot of farmland on Fairview. He said they have goats, turkeys and chickens at their place. In addition to securing their toy equipment to a board, the brothers took the ends of actual corn stalks and toothpicks to make a small cornfield on their display.

Brothers Gavin and Garret Waydo, sons of Brian and Stephanie Waydo of Fairview Road in Berlin, each created a miniature farm display for this year's Berlin Fair. They're putting some finishing touches on their designs before entry on Wednesday.
Brothers Gavin and Garret Waydo, sons of Brian and Stephanie Waydo of Fairview Road in Berlin, each created a miniature farm display for this year's Berlin Fair. They're putting some finishing touches on their designs before entry on Wednesday.

"They collect farm toys and so does their father so it's a family thing and bringing the display to the fair allows them to work together on a project," said their mother, Stephanie. "The Berlin Fair gives the community a chance to come together and is especially great for the students to showcase their projects. It's nice there are so many kids who are still doing this sort of thing because at a lot of places kids aren't interested anymore."

For Jessica (Leydig) Landis, who has been coming to the Berlin Fair since her youth and now volunteers with her family, a specially decorated burnt sugar cake decorated with cacti on top seemed the perfect way to contribute to the fair.

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Jessica (Leydig) Landis knows her way around the kitchen. She baked a burnt sugar cake with buttercream icing and decorated it in a cacti design for this year's Berlin Fair. Jessica also volunteers for the fair.
Jessica (Leydig) Landis knows her way around the kitchen. She baked a burnt sugar cake with buttercream icing and decorated it in a cacti design for this year's Berlin Fair. Jessica also volunteers for the fair.

"I enjoy making cakes and thought that designing something different would be a hit at the auction on Thursday evening," she said. "It took about three hours to make and I got some ideas from Pinterest as well."

And, the crescendo of entries came at the end of the day on Wednesday when Matt Pyle and his children Riley, 10, and McKenna, 7, once again returned with giant pumpkins, one weighing 400 pounds and the other 500 pounds. The pumpkins had to be weighed in at Snyder's of Berlin and then brought back to the gymnasium.

The Pyles are well known in Berlin for growing the giant pumpkins, and in 2019, they brought in a pumpkin that weighed 620 pounds. The fair was canceled in 2020, but in 2021, they brought in big pumpkins as well, weighing in the 400s. Last year, they took a hit when a groundhog got into the pumpkin patch and destroyed everything.

"It takes a little water and a lot of luck," laughed Matt Pyle, who lives at a small family farm outside of Berlin. His dad, Calvin Pyle, helps him with the growing, along with his wife, Melissa, and their children, Riley and McKenna.

"It's something we do as a family. The kids help pick out seeds in spring and they help take care of them through the growing season. We like to take stuff into our local fair because it is grown locally and showcases our community's harvest," he said.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Berlin Brothersvalley 84th Fair showcases a variety of displays