I recently attended the Great Allentown Fair this weekend with some of my field hockey teammates. As I was walking to the event I could smell all the different types of food and animals waiting inside for me to explore. After walking through the security gate, I was able to see the local people of allentown. Looking around, the people weren’t really what I had expected. Going into this college I thought that Allentown was filled with mostly Amish and stereotypical farmer type people but I was surprised to see all the young modern dressed families that still had a small town aspect to them. The people all smiled at me wide eyed when they saw the Muhlenberg keychain on my wallet. It showed me how well Muhlenberg has integrated with the community in Allentown.
My first stop at the fair was directed to the group by a flashy sign to go to a goating petting pen. Personally, I am not a huge animal lover but the goats looked so cute and friendly. There was a whole line of people from different ages waiting to interact with the small friendly goats. While a few of my teammates waited eagerly in the far-reaching line, I wandered through the gift shop area at the exit of the pen. In rummaging through the pun-filled goat objects, I learned about the people who run the entire operation – Steinmetz Family Farm. The farm mainly focuses on raising goats and uses them for the public to snuggle and play with in order to bring in a profit.
Funny enough right across from the goats petting pen was a pig race. The race didn’t start until later in the day but I felt distraught to see the animal locked in its cage. I don’t find it amusing to abuse these animals by forcing them to perform certain tasks for a show. This just showed me that animal entertainment is a huge part of Allentown culture. Also, in another petting station there was a pony locked in its cage looking terrified. It refused to move a muscle when my teammates and I slowly walked over to the long faced pony. It didn’t even make eye contact with us but it did move closer to the outskirts of the pen. If an animal is acting this way it really does signal that it is in distress. The people working the table for the booth just didn’t care about the well being of the animals because they were just for show and entertainment.
Overall, the Allentown Fair did open me up to a greater community outside Muhlenberg and ideals of animal treatment/cruelty. It made me realize that animals should be treated with respect and not just for show. They are living creatures just like us and deserve to eat fun food and play games like I had just done at the fair. If animals are going to be interacted with they should be trained to do so in order to not feel similar to the long-faced pony in its cage waiting for the day to be over.
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