It’s not a fair without the food.

At the Schuylkill County Fair, visitors only need to walk the length of a block to find appetizers, desserts and just about anything in between.

Marcia Huey has been visiting the fair for the past 25 years with her Huey’s food trucks.

And each year, she tries to introduce a new item. With the anniversary in mind, she wanted to go big.

Huey’s unveiled its maple bacon funnel cake Monday.

“It was inspired by my son, Toby,” explained Huey, of Muir. “He loves bacon - and he has a sweet tooth.”

Huey’s creation features a fresh-made funnel cake drizzled with locally sourced maple syrup. Thick slices of bacon from J.F. Martin & Sons are crumbled on top, and it’s sprinkled with powdered sugar. It’s a decadent treat that Huey said should be shared.

Huey also sold deep fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches filled with either strawberry or grape jelly. Once they’re out of the fryer, they’re topped with powdered sugar.

“The inside gets hot. Gooey peanut butter is always good,” Huey said. “They’re a popular item in the Midwest.”

A few stands away, Tom Whiston opened the door to a large smoker and prepared meals for customers.

His business, Blazing Swine Barbeque of Hummelstown, serves pulled pork and beef brisket. It takes 16 hours to smoke the pork, and 20 for the beef - and Whiston said it’s worth the wait.

Folks enjoy the “hog” sandwich, which is pulled pork topped with homemade coleslaw.

“We make our own sauce, which is as sweet as ketchup and as hot as black pepper,” Whiston noted.

With warm temperatures on tap until closing day on Saturday, many will seek out ice cream.

A food truck from Way-Har Farms in Berks County offered the frozen treat and drinks - but the proceeds won’t benefit the business. Instead, they will be turned over to the Schuylkill County Fair Association.

Linda Fidler rented the truck and stocked it with ice cream and beverages.

“We started doing this about five years ago. We used to do it for the fire company,” said Fidler, of Friedensburg. “My husband is a fair director so we decided to give the money back to the fair.”

Other offerings from fair vendors include pizza, blooming onions, crab cakes, edible cookie dough, sno-cones, grilled cheese sandwiches, along with milkshakes, lemonade, and a variety of juices including hibiscus, tamarind and passionfruit.

The fair features entertainment, agricultural displays, rides, educational programs and games.

Today is Senior Appreciation Day and gates will open at 11 a.m. Five hundred swag bags with goodies will be handed out to seniors. The Pennsylvania Lottery is a main sponsor of the day. Diakon Senior Living will present programs. The Amish Outlaws will perform at 7 and 9 p.m. A cornhole tournament will be held at the track at 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.schuylkillfair.com or www.facebook.com/SCHUYLKILLFAIR/.

Prepare for hot weather