The Lebanon Area Fair is a busy place with eight days of fun, excitement, and delicious food everywhere you turn. The Fair’s board members came up with their recommendations of the Top 10 Things to Do at the Fair.
① Meet royalty, and not just the Fair Queen. The Fair is a showcase of the area’s agricultural commodities, and this year Fairgoers can learn about them from our own Pennsylvania State Fair Queen Chloe Bomgardner! Chloe will be at the Fair several days during the week but also busy traveling to other Pennsylvania Fairs that are taking place at the same time. If you see her, be sure to grab a picture or an autograph! She’ll hand her Lebanon Area Fair Queen crown over to the soon-to-be-named 2023-2024 Lebanon Area Fair Queen. The Lebanon County Dairy Promotion team includes six ambassadors this year and is proud to represent dairy farmers and retailers this year. Find them in the dairy barns and Milkshake Stand all week long.
② Enjoy locally grown, fresh cut French Fries from the Outside Eatery. This Fair food staple travels just a few miles from farm to plate! All of the French Fries served at the Fair are grown in Ono at the Moyer family farm and trucked in by the wagon or pick up load to the Fair where our volunteers wash, cut, and fry them up by the thousand every night. We are fortunate to have a climate here in the Lebanon Valley that is perfect for growing such a delicious crop!
③ Admire the Best of Show. The exhibit halls are packed from end to end with competitive entries from your friends and neighbors. From angora yarn to zucchini and aprons to zinnia, thousands of projects and produce are evaluated and placed by judges who sort out the cream of the crop – the Best of Show. Find the entries accompanied by a big purple rosette in both West and Center Hall and see what makes a Lebanon Area Fair champion.
④ Dance under the Midway Lights. Whether you like boot-scootin’ to country, strolling down Memory Lane to a time of 10-cent Cokes and poodle skirts, or jamming to classic rock, there is nothing like an outdoor summertime concert under the stars and the neon glow of the Fair’s amusement rides. With two stages covering a wide range of musical genres and plenty of room to get your groove on, you are sure to make some great memories.
⑤ Walk the barns. Many Fairgoers do not otherwise have the opportunity to see a calf or a lamb or a rabbit up close and personal. In our livestock barns, Fairgoers are invited to see every unique dairy cattle breed, such as the fawn-colored Guernsey, Brown Swiss (grey-brown), and of course the popular Holstein (black and white). Our exhibitors will be glad to let you know which of their animals would welcome your attention – some of the calves might even lick your finger! It is a wonderful experience to see Lebanon County’s animal agriculture on proud display.
⑥ Volunteer. The Fair is 100% reliant on the gift of time from its hundreds of volunteers. From show clerks to trash collectors, burger flippers to poop-scoopers, someone willing to donate their time to the cause of agricultural education and community celebration completes every task that makes this Fair possible. We invite you to join our ranks.
⑦ Cheer on your favorite barrel racer or demo derby driver. Our track is part of what makes our Fair famous among all Pennsylvania fairs. Fair week features a rodeo, three truck and tractor sled pulls (including an often sold-out PPL East Coast Super Stock Tractor & Modified Truck Pull on Wednesday night) as well as two events for the most daring drivers: Tough Trucks and the Demolition Derby. The majority of the contestants in these shows hail from Central Pennsylvania, so it’s likely you know them or at least know of them! Bring your blanket (and ear plugs) and save a seat in our grandstands to cheer them on.
⑧ Spend quality time with your family and friends. The Fair is a family tradition. Regardless of your “Fair Favorites”- the Midway rides and games, the animal competitions, the barbecue dinners, the live music, the petting zoo – our Fair grants you the opportunity to enjoy each other’s company and probably make some new friends while you explore all that we have to offer.
⑨ Support our youth. For this world to survive, the young people you see at the Fair will have to continue to cultivate the land and care for its livestock. Many of our youth aspire to farm, and we invite you to support them this week if you are able. Bid on a hog, lamb, or steer in the market animal sale on Friday night, or a dairy beef steer, goat, turkey or rabbit at the small animal sale on Wednesday night. Help keep our educational programs strong by purchasing gift baskets, plants, toys, or home décor at the 4-H auction on Thursday evening. Buy a Ham or Chicken BBQ ticket so that our children may receive scholarships to further their education. There are many ways to ensure a vibrant future for Lebanon County’s agricultural youth.
⑩ Watch the fireworks show. By the end of the week, Fair volunteers and exhibitors are tired. There is no better way to wrap up and reflect on the past eight days than relaxing in the grandstands after the demolition derby listening to the loud booms and watching the brightly colored fireworks explosions raining down from the sky.
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