New Lebanon Area Fair contests promise opportunities for youth, adults, and mullet-wearers alike

The Lebanon Area Fair is a mix of old and new. While some offerings are tried-and-true, like scrumptious food and enjoyable entertainment, the Fair is constantly implementing new ideas to keep people engaged. Lebanon Area Fair Indoor Exhibits Chairman Rachel Siegel urges the exhibitors and the wider public to be on the lookout for new competitions at the 2024 Fair: a Mullet Contest, Goat Obstacle Course, Youth Mini-Maker class, Youth flower and vegetable classes, and new themes in several traditional classes.

“Every year, we evaluate what classes to offer,” says Siegel. “One of the most useful things is to step back and look at what our numbers show us to see where we should collapse classes where interest has waned, and more importantly, where to expand in areas of growth. For example, about 10 years ago, we realized that photography is a major growing area of interest because almost everyone now carries a phone with a decent camera. Sometimes, we get direct requests from our exhibitors, who bring ideas for categories to our attention; in 2023, we added ‘diamond painting’ which is a newer craft where people place tiny shiny stones following a pattern to make a picture; the effect is similar to cross-stitch, but with stones. When we added it, we got quite a few entries.”

By popular demand, in 2024 the Fair added Youth categories for vegetables and flowers, which round out a youth department that also includes baked goods, needlework, arts & crafts, Legos and even eggs. The Fair also added a youth level contest that is a spin-off of a popular adult contest; the new “Mini-Maker” contest is a scaled down version of the interdisciplinary “Homemaker of the Year” contest and requires the youth contestant to make a display consisting of four items from various disciplines, including a sewn, knitted or quilted item; a grown item (flower, vegetable or houseplant); a craft; and any fourth additional item that was grown or made by the contestant.

“I look forward to seeing what shows up. We have quite a few multi-talented kids that should enter the Mini-Maker,” Siegel said.

One of the Fair’s most important missions is to keep youth engaged. While any person of any age can enter “open” categories at the fair, youth 19 and younger can also enter “Department 11-Youth.” Only Department 10 is reserved for 4-H and FFA members to enter their projects.

“It is nice for kids to be able to compete against others in their age range, rather than someone with, say, 50 years of experience,” Siegel explained.

The Fair also has some categories with themes that change on an annual basis. Three examples of this rotation can be found in the quilt block contest (2024 theme is “barns”), a feature photo contest (2024 theme is “shadows”), and various floral arrangement classes unique to 2024 (including a featured “red” color class, “winter wonderland” and others.)

Siegel says, “If you aren’t an exhibitor and are just a general fairgoer, maybe the difference between the 2024 prompt and the 2023 prompt is unnoticeable or unremarkable, but if you are an exhibitor with a particular hobby or passion, having a special rotating challenge each year promotes the production of interesting entries and keeps you engaged and creative.”

Siegel noted the Fair also takes inspiration from other fairs, societal trends, and social media, which has led to the introduction of classes for decorated cupcakes, sugar-free or gluten-free baking categories, card-making, knitted toys, photo manipulation, upcycled clothing, etc.

Members of the Lebanon County 4-H Goat Club’s Cloverbuds program (Cloverbuds is a program under the 4-H umbrella open for kids age 5-7 who are too young to be traditional 4-H members) will train and navigate their animals through a Goat Obstacle Course. If you want to see “kids leading kids,” stop by the goat show ring on Friday, July 26 at 9 a.m.

What else is new? The contest that is getting the most hype is the “Mullet Contest” being organized and promoted by the Fair’s new Junior Fair Board. This particular contest does not require pre-entry and is open to anyone who is coiffing a version of the “shaggy-do.” The Mullet contest will occur on Thursday, July 25, at 5 p.m. at the Dairy Beef Barn. If you have business in the front and a party in the back, join the fun and be eligible for prizes and, of course, bragging rights.

While the mullet contest is an exception, most other contests at the Fair require pre-entry by July 5. Information and assistance in the pre-entry process can be found on the Fair’s website, www.LebanonAreaFair.com or by calling the fair office at 717-273-3795.