Lebanon Area Fair promises fun for families and fairgoers of all ages

What’s old is new again at the 69th edition of the Lebanon Area Fair.

The annual agricultural extravaganza runs July 19-26 at the Lebanon Valley Expo Center and Fairgrounds in North Cornwall Township.

After a four-year hiatus due to the avian influenza pandemic, poultry exhibits and judging make their triumphant return. The bird displays, including the chick incubator, are but a few of several new offerings at the 2025 edition of the fair, according to Dana Lape, who is an adult adviser to the 4-H poultry program and entertainment committee member. 

“We’re going to have 125 poultry entries, which is really low compared to what we had before, but there’s a lot of (new) rules. We have to file this year and do different things in the setup,” Lape said. “The state made two rules because of everything that was going on. So actually we’re okay with that number of birds because it’s going to make it a lot easier to follow the rules this year.”

Lape said there are 40 members in the 4-H’s poultry club, adding that it will be the first time for several of the younger members to show since the pandemic. This year, members were permitted to raise three birds and show their best one at the fair. Lape noted that there will also be 24 meat bird entries at the fair.

“I do talk to other 4-H clubs throughout the state and I know we’re right up there with some of the most members in our club, which is really cool because some of the other clubs, their numbers really dwindled (during the flu outbreak). Ours never did,” Lape said. “We do a lot of other things than just poultry in the club.”

Lape noted that while the meat birds were allowed to return last year, it’s a new day for other poultry breeds. The fair is also bringing back the chick incubator so guests can watch chicks hatch in person instead of viewing a live feed via social media.

“They (4-H members) were disappointed they couldn’t show, but they did show their meat birds last year. So even last year, we had stuff for the 4-H kids to do. But they’re excited for this year,” Lape said. “A lot of them, at their age, they don’t remember when poultry was shown at the fair, the 8-year-olds and the 9-year-olds. So it ought to be fun.”

Lape said the Lebanon Area Fair is lucky to have an egg show this year when many others are not having one of their own. 

“Most fairs in the state have canceled their egg show because they made new rules that now you can only show eggs from chickens that are blood tested. So the cost of blood testing a chicken is way more than what you can possibly win showing eggs,” he said. “But we have it and like I said we’ll have the incubator up this year with chicks, and this will be the first time in four years that we actually have it at the fairgrounds.”

The incubator with the eggs and hatched chicks will be in the Southeast Hall along with the rabbits, said Lape, who agreed with LebTown that the incubator populated with small chicks and their unhatched siblings is always a popular attraction.

“When it comes to the animals that are on the fairgrounds, it (a chick) is the only one that’s born in an egg. It’s fascinating how if you take an egg, even a fertile egg on the day it comes out of a hen, and you drop it on the floor, it’s just a bunch of goo,” Lape said. “And after 21 days in an incubator, it turns into a live chicken. It’s pretty fascinating.”

There will be, of course, the usual menagerie of farm animals at the fair, from cows to horses, sheep to swine and goats to rabbits. For more information check the judging and exhibition schedule.  

Entertainment for everyone

Hatching chicks is not the only new attraction at the Lebanon Area Fair.

While the entertainment committee has mostly hired local singers to perform on its main stage at past fairs, it went in a different direction this year and hired acts from outside the Lebanon Valley.

Don’t worry, Al Shade fans, the legendary singer is still performing at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 22, in Wenger Pavilion. Lape noted the 97-year-old Shade is the oldest country music performer in the nation and a record-setter as the oldest performer at a Pennsylvania-based fair.

The committee did skew, however, towards a fresh approach for musical entertainment. 

“We’ve had some of the best bands and we switched up this year. Pentagon is no more so we switched up and on the first Saturday night we have Smooth Like Clyde, which is a really popular band at Hollywood Casino,” said Lape, who said they play ’80s music.  “On Wednesday night we changed up our ’80s band this year – we always have a band that does the ’80s – and we’re bringing in a band out of Maryland … called Guys in Thin Ties.”

Their performance is July 23 at 7 p.m. on the fair’s Main Stage on the Midway.  

“Saw them down there (Maryland) at a music fest and boy, they’re really entertaining. So we’re excited to hear them,” Lape said. “Friday night we went a little bigger than we normally do and we’re bringing in a band out of Florida called Sweet Fleet … a Fleetwood Mac tribute band.”

Lape said his mind was blown by how much they sound like the classic rock band. Sweet Fleet will perform at 7 p.m. on the Midway’s main stage on Friday, July 25.

“All of them are 25 years or younger and it’s amazing,” said Lape. “We saw them perform and it just blows your mind how much they sound like Fleetwood Mac. The girl … is like 17 years old and she sounds just like Stevie Nicks, so we’re excited about that.”

Lape noted there are about 20 free musical acts, including the time-honored Talent Show on Monday, July 21, at 6:30 at Wenger Pavilion. There’s also a daily magic show by TJ Hill, a rock ‘n’ roll pet store kids show, and performances by Hog Diggity Dogs & More!

Diggity Dog is from Florida, Lape said. “They have camels, a big giant pig, and a bunch of dogs. They were a highlight of the Barnum & Bailey circus when they had animals at their circus.”

Lape noted it is the first time for all three of these acts to perform on the fair’s Midway. Shows are held throughout the day, so check the daily schedule for times and locations.

“Our other big show is magic man TJ Hill. He is a magician and he is really good, too,” Lape said. “A lot of times we had to bring back Midway shows because there are only so many in the whole country, but this year we have three Midway shows that we’ve never had here before.”

A fair favorite from last year that’s back in 2025 is the mullet contest, which Lape said has a theme of Christmas in July this year.

“A big part of that is they do have an award for the person that decks themselves out the most like Christmas. It’s going to be fun again,” Lape said. “The Junior Fair Board came up with that idea and they ran it all themselves last year. We had one big crowd at 5 o’clock on a Thursday afternoon last year, so we’re hoping it’s huge again.”

Read More: First-ever Junior Lebanon Area Fair Board springs into action this year

Ultimately, events like the mullet contest and everything the fair does is about family, from the many generations who volunteer to make the fair a reality to those who attend whether they are 8 or 80.

Read More: Lebanon Area Fair holds its first mullet contest, organized by Junior Fair Board

“It’s a family tradition. There’s families that help volunteer that are five, six generations, might even be up to seven generations now in some of those families,” Lape said. “So it’s pretty cool how it’s a family tradition.”

Lebanon Area Fair highlights

Other fair highlights include:

Saturday, July 19

5 p.m. – Fair Queen Coronation (scholarship recipients announcement), Wenger Pavilion

7 p.m. – 4×4 truck and semi pull (admission $15), track

Sunday, July 20

1 p.m. – Lebanon County Fireman’s Competition, track

7 p.m. – Lebanon County Dairy Promotion’s Giant Sundae, Brightbill Arena

Monday, July 21

10 a.m.-12 p.m. – Baking contests, West Hall

7:30 p.m. – Rodeo (admission $15), track

Tuesday, July 22

3:30 p.m. – Al, Faron & Debbie Shade Show, Wenger Pavilion

7 p.m. – Farm Stock & Lawn Garden Tractor Pull (admission $10), track

Wednesday, July 23

6 p.m. – Youth Small Market Animal Sale, Brightbill Arena

7:30 p.m. – PPL East Coast Super Stock Tractor & Modified Truck Pulls (admission $20), track

Thursday, July 24

5 p.m. – Lebanon Area Fair Mullet Contest (registration 4 p.m.), Beef Barn

6:00 p.m. – 4-H Benefit Auction, North Hall

6:30 p.m. – Pie Eating Contest & Bologna Toss (free), track

7 p.m. – Farmers Night (free), track

Friday, July 25

9:30 a.m. – 4-H Presentation Contest, Ag Center

7 p.m. – Arena Tough Truck (admission $20), track

Saturday, July 26

7:30 p.m. – Demolition Derby (admission $25), track

If you go

Admission to all ticketed track events can be purchased at the track gate.

Visitors can also pre-order main gate and track event tickets at LebanonAreaFair.com. Tickets are also available for advance purchase in the fair office between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Track events are free to children 10 and under.

The Lebanon Area Fair has free admission to the fairgrounds prior to 3 p.m. each day. Admission after 3 p.m. is $5 for ages 10 and up; under 10 is free. There is free parking at the fairgrounds at 80 Rocherty Road, two miles south of Lebanon off Route 72 near the intersection with Cornwall Road.