Dana Lape says he’s already booked a musician for 2027.
Planning ahead is part and parcel of organizing the entertainment at the Lebanon Area Fair, a local tradition that this year features more than 20 musical acts as well as plenty of other diversions and spectacles to keep folks coming back.
“We’re always planning two to three years out,” says Lape, who serves as entertainment chairman for the fair. (He, Russell Wolfe, and Tom Jones spearhead the effort, Lape said, leading a committee of 10 people who put it all together.)
“This is Americana,” he said, noting that of the 107 fairs in Pennsylvania each year, 12 to 15 of them coincide with or overlap the Lebanon fair. “It’s the No. 1 fair week in the country,” Lape said.
“That’s another reason we have to plan so far ahead … we’re not the only ones competing for the acts,” he added. “We’re already planning on a big, big show for 2026. That’s our 70th anniversary.”
Planning ahead isn’t just vital for music, but all of the midway shows and other attractions, he added. This year, those attractions range from a circus, complete with a high-wire act and trick motorcycles, to wrestling and volleyball competitions.
“That’s not something you see at every fair,” he said. “We have some really cool entertainment this year.”
The fair this year runs July 20-27 at the fairgrounds at 80 Rocherty Road, Lebanon.
Admission is free from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., after which there’s a $5 daily admission charge to enter the grounds. Children under 10 years old are admitted free all day, every day.
Music, music & music
“We have a great lineup of music this year,” Lape said.
Give Lape just a few moments of your time, and he’ll talk at length about the acts that have graced the Lebanon stage over the years, as well as what’s ahead. This year, for instance, will be the final appearance by Pentagon, which has been playing the fair for decades. “After 50 some years, Pentagon is hanging it up,” Lape said. “This will be their last year.”
They aren’t the only perennial local favorites who are in the 2024 lineup, he noted, rattling off familiar names including Addie Grace, Jess Zimmerman and, of course, Al Shade. “Al Shade is back,” Lape said. “At 96 years old.”
On the other hand, he said, almost half of the musical acts performing this year “are new and have never been at our fair before.”
For example, he said, “one of our main midway shows this year is a Lebanon person. Before last year, when we saw him at the Elizabethtown Fair, we did not know he existed.” Musically speaking, the duo Maya Talarico & Elijah Meyers is new to the fair this year, he said; Maya, too, is someone they “discovered” in E-town.
Other newcomers include Rod Geisinger & The Guy Singers, Andy Alonso, and the Ironwood Drive Band
Without a doubt, Lape said, “the big one is the Amish Outlaws on Wednesday night.”
All told, he said, they have more than a dozen musical acts signed on for the pavilion shows and eight concerts on the main stage. “We’re just glad we can pull it off and make it happen for a $5 admission charge,” he said.
Besides Pentagon, main stage performers include Clockwork, who’s returning for a second year, as well as the Josh Squared Band, the Uptown Band, Sapphire, Flaming’ Dick and the Hot Rods, and Jess Zimmerman, a rock ‘n’ roll and country singer who got her start at Lebanon’s annual talent show. “We were the first fair to hire her, now she’s playing all over the country,” Lape said proudly.
Another popular return this year is DJ Chicken Nugget, who leads the country line dancing from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday in the pavilion.
“He’s the No. 1 country line dancing DJ in the state,” Lape said. “Last year, we had close to 1,000 people around our pavilion line dancing It was wall to wall people dancing. We’re hoping for that kind of crowd again.”
Wednesday night is the “big concert,” he said, featuring the Amish Outlaws, a Lancaster County-based band that’s partly made up of former Amish youth who never returned to the faith after the excesses of rumspringa. Their appearance on the Lebanon main stage is thanks to the financial participation of Visit Lebanon Valley, as a nod to the Year of the Arts in Lebanon County.
Lebanon County Commissioners designated 2024 as the Year of the Arts to honor the 50th annual Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show. Visit Lebanon Valley said the recognition is a testament to the cultural significance of the area, which is home to a variety of art forms including theater, music, and visual arts.
Read More: Mount Gretna and Lebanon County celebrate ‘Year of the Arts’ in 2024
Visit Lebanon Valley’s support made having the Amish Outlaws on stage a reality, Lape said.
Wrestling, tractors & the Beast
Besides music, Lape is excited about lots of other events this year.
“We have the wrestling again, Saturday night in the North Hall,” he said. The day-long volleyball competition is also on the agenda – Lape said Lebanon is the only fair in the state to feature volleyball.
Also, he said, “we have two new rides – the Beast is going to be one of the top things at the fair this year. People aren’t going to believe how big it is.”
“It puts us in a whole new ballgame,” he added. “I don’t know if I want to go on it, but it’s impressive. people stand around just to watch it.”
And then there’s the antique tractor show, which returns after a several-year hiatus.
“We have the car show out front, when you first come in. That’s after the 5k run, that always starts off the fair,” Lape said.
The Lebanon Area Fair and Special Olympics Car & Tractor Show begins at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 20.
“It’s the 20th year for the car show,” Lape said. “Years ago we had the tractor show, and it was pretty big. It died out, not because of a lack of interest, but because we didn’t have room for it.”
This year, he said, organizers decided to make use of the west end of the midway, which is typically used for parking, to bring the tractor show back.
“So this year we’re doing tractors and cars,” he said. “The first 100 tractors … and the first 100 cars each get a special dash plaque.”
Read More: Discover musical events and midway fun at the 2024 Lebanon Area Fair
The fair committee runs the show along with the Special Olympic of Lebanon County,” he added, and “whatever money is made is split 50-50. It’s a win-win.”
Lape noted that it costs $10 to participate in the show, but it comes with a $5 pass to get into the fair. For the first time, he added, the car show will feature live music.
“It’s a real fun time. We’re hoping for a really good show,” he said. “Although, it’s been over 10 years since we’ve had a tractor show. We don’t know what we’re going to get.”
On Saturday, July 20, the fair queen will be selected and crowned in the pavilion, beginning at 5 p.m. The talent show is on Monday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the pavilion; Lape said that popular event might be moved back to Friday next year.
Cuddly animals, National Guard & mullets
Patrons will be thrilled to learn Eudora Farms Petting Zoo will be back.
“They’re the No. 1 petting zoo in the country,” Lape said. “They are fabulous.”
New midway shows this year include the Victoria Circus and Boston Bachert, a variety entertainer they discovered in E-town.
“If all that entertainment isn’t enough, we have one of the best tracks in the country,” Lape said. This year, that includes an enlarged track area and new bleachers.
Events on the track include the fireman’s competition, the Red Eye Rodeo, truck and tractor pulls, a demolition, derby, a pie-eating contest and a bologna toss.
Twice during fair week, the Pennsylvania Army National Guard’s demonstration team will perform.
“And maybe the biggest event of the week, brand new this year, is the mullet contest,” Lape said. “We already have 21 people registered.”
Registration is open up to the day of the show, he said. The contest begins at 5 p.m. Thursday in the Dairy Beef Barn.
The mullet contest is the brainchild of the new Junior Fair Board, which got the idea after seeing a similar event at the state Farm Show. The top prize for the best mullet is $100, along with bragging rights at the fair, Lape said.
Read More: First-ever Junior Lebanon Area Fair Board springs into action this year
“When I first got onto the fair board, I said we need more weird stuff,” he said.
“Stuff that’s out of the box. The more abnormal stuff you can get at a fair, the more people say it’s cool,” Lape added. “It took me some time to get them to understand what I meant by ‘weird’ stuff. You’ve gotta have stuff you don’t see every day.”
He’s already looking for new and unusual additions to the fair next year, he said.
“We’re working on 2026. I have a really good feeling about it,” Lape said. “I can’t say anything until it’s under contract … but it will probably go down as the best and most different show we’ve ever had.”
For the full schedule of entertainments this year, visit the fair’s website at https://www.lebanonareafair.com/events/entertainment.
Below are some highlights from the 2024 entertainment schedule. Check out the full entertainment schedule online.
July 20
Maya Talarico & Elijah Meyers, 7-10 p.m. (pavilion)
Pentagon, 7-10:30 p.m. (main stage)
July 21
Dean-O, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (pavilion)
Sounds of Charles Lee, 4-6 p.m. (pavilion)
Faith Noel, 7-10 p.m. (pavilion)
Clockwork Band, 7-10:30 p.m. (main stage)
July 22
Uptown Band, 7-10:30 p.m. (main stage)
Ashley Butters, 10:30 a.m. (North Hall)
Holly Serio Music Assembly, 12 p.m. (pavilion)
Talent Show, 6:30 p.m. (pavilion)
Suzanne’s Dance Performance, 6 p.m. (North Hall)
July 23
Josh Squared Band, 7-10:30 p.m. (main stage)
Al & Debbie Shade, 3:30 p.m. (pavilion)
Mockingbird, 7-10 p.m. (pavilion)
July 24
Addie Grace, 7-7:30 p.m. (main stage)
Amish Outlaws, 8-10:30 p.m. (main stage)
Andy Alonso, 4-6 p.m. (pavilion)
DMC Duo, 7-10 p.m. (pavilion)
July 25
Jess Zimmerman Band, 7-10:30 p.m. (main stage)
Matt Miskie, 4-6 p.m. (pavilion)
Country Line Dancing with DJ Chicken Nugget, 7-10 p.m. (pavilion)
July 26
Sapphire, 7-10:30 p.m. (main stage)
Rod Geisinger & The Guy Singers, 4-6 p.m. (pavilion)
Corina Rose, 7-10 p.m. (pavilion)
July 27
Flamin’ Dick & the Hot Rods, 7-10:30 p.m. (main stage)
Ironwood Drive Band, 7-10 p.m. (pavilion)
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