Allentown Fairgrounds

[4] An increasingly successful event, the annual fair continued to attract an audience but, in 1862, was cancelled due to the Civil War and the conversion of the fairgrounds into a training camp for the 176th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry.The Great Allentown Fair then resumed operations in 1863, continuing on until 1917 when the United States government converted the 46-acre grounds into Camp Crane, a training facility for the U.S. Army Ambulance Service, paying the agricultural society $37,000 per year for its lease.Named in honor of Brigadier-General Charles H. Crane, who had served as surgeon general of the U.S. Army from 1882 to 1883, the camp was home to anywhere between 4,000 and 5,000 men at various points in time during World War I.[6] The Allentown Fairgrounds currently operates multiple attractions, including: During the rest of the year (other than the week before and the week of the fair), the area beneath the grandstand, and an adjoining building, together host an indoor farmers' market, usually open Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, but also open additional weekdays before and/or after major holidays.[7] The Agriplex buildings also host a wide variety of events throughout the year, which are listed separately on the fair's Web site.