‘A great celebration.’ See Garth Brooks’ video message for Grange Fair’s 150th anniversary

As the Grange Fair gets ready to celebrate its 150th anniversary, it got a special shout out from perhaps one of its biggest past grandstand performers.

In a Facebook post, the Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair shared a video from country music legend Garth Brooks, who performed at the fair in the 1990s just as his music career began to take off.

“Hey everybody, Garth Brooks here,” Brooks started off in his video message. “Congratulations to the Grange Fair on 150 years. It’s a great celebration. Thanks for letting me get to be a part of it.”

In its post, fair organizers wrote: “He remembers us!”

“He will always be a part of Grange Fair history,” the post states.

Brooks was booked for the fair’s grandstand entertainment in the summer of 1990, a pivotal time in his career. “No Fences,” the singer’s second studio album — which included the classics “Friends in Low Places,” “The Thunder Rolls” and “Unanswered Prayers” — was released.

The “relative newcomer to the Nashville scene,” as the CDT described him at the time, performed to two big crowds on a rainy opening night at the Centre County Grange Fair. With a seven-piece backing band, Brooks performed in gray jeans, a gray and red striped shirt and a gray Stetson.

“We were very lucky to get Garth right when we did,” Entertainment Superintendent Don Fry told the CDT in 1990.

A lot has changed for Brooks since those grandstand performances. At the time, he said he was still adjusting to his newfound fame. Since then, he’s won more than 10 Academy of Country Music Awards, two Grammy Awards and many others. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2012.

The fair has seen a lot of changes as well but still holds grandstand concerts most nights of the fair. This year’s entertainment lineup includes Jo Dee Messina, Aaron Tippin, Drew Green and Alex Miller.

Grange Fair is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. As part of its celebration, the fair created a documentary about the long Grange Fair tradition. It will premiere at 8:30 p.m. Aug. 18 at the grandstand and will be available for purchase. Cupcakes will be given out as part of the celebration beginning at 7:30 p.m. that evening.

The 150th annual Grange Fair runs from Aug. 16-24 at the fairgrounds, 149 Homan Lane, Centre Hall. The fair becomes a “home away from home” to families in 1,000 tents and 1,500 RVs every year. It’s the only remaining tenting fair in the nation, according to its website.