Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust Protecting 41-Acre June Fete Fairgrounds In Montgomery County

On May 21, the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust announced it has purchased the 41-acre June Fete Fairgrounds property in an agreement of sale with Jefferson Abington Hospital and Abington Memorial Healthcare Corp in Montgomery County.

Under the terms of the agreement of sale, the Trust intends to purchase the Fairgrounds to be held as green space forevermore. 

However, the Trust will grant the Abington Health Foundation Women’s Board an exclusive right to use the Fairgrounds for the June Fete Fair each year in perpetuity. 

This year’s Fete Fair will be held June 7 to June 9, 2024.

The Fairgrounds are comprised of 41 acres which are currently zoned for residential development. As relatively flat, high ground, uncomplicated by wetlands or prior land-use issues, these lands could easily be developed into residential housing. 

However, with the sale of the Fairgrounds to the Trust, the land will be preserved as open, undeveloped, green space.

“We are delighted to give the Pennypack Trust the opportunity to purchase the land. It’s really the best of both worlds where the Fair can continue, and the land is preserved forever,” said Jill Kyle, Senior VP for Regional Advancement at Jefferson Health. 

The June Fete Fair, established in 1913, is run by Abington Health Foundation’s Women’s Board and its Auxiliaries.

All proceeds of the Fair currently go toward capital improvements at Jefferson Abington Hospital, and the proceeds of the sale of the Fairgrounds will go to the benefit of Jefferson Abington Hospital as well.

As a land trust dedicated to the preservation of open space forever, PERT will not only own the land outright, but also protect the land under a conservation easement that will forbid development in perpetuity.

Chris Mendel, PERT’s Executive Director, says “It’s our job and our privilege to preserve and manage open space as habitat. But this is rare opportunity to preserve a tradition, what some folks say is the longest continually running fair in the US, right alongside the natural systems that we need to protect.”

The purchase price for the June Fete property is $4.15 million, and the transaction is set to close on or before June 30, 2024. 

PERT began fundraising in November 2023 and will stay in its fundraising mode until after the transaction date to ensure the proper maintenance and operation of the newly acquired land. 

Visit the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust website for more information on land conservation.

Related Articles:

-- Chester County Awards French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust $623,765 To Preserve 4 Environmentally Sensitive Properties Totaling 228 Acres  [PaEN] 

-- Berks Nature, Partners Protect 131 Acres In Schuylkill County And Kittatinny Ridge  [PaEN] 

-- Susquehanna National Heritage Area, Conservation Fund Partner To Preserve Historic 87 Acre Farmstead In York County  [PaEN]

-- Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust Protecting 41-Acre June Fete Fairgrounds In Montgomery County  [PaEN]

-- Heritage Conservancy Completes Conservation Easement Preserving 29.3 Acres In Northampton County  [PaEN] 

-- Natural Lands Preserves Additional 22 Acres In Stone Hill Greenway, Montgomery County  [PaEN]  

-- Allegheny Land Trust Permanently Protects Former Hospital Site In Allegheny County  [PaEN]

[Posted: May 21, 2024]  PA Environment Digest