Local fair organizers join efforts to bring back the talent contest at PA Farm Show

After a several-year hiatus, the talent show is back on the schedule for the 2026 Pennsylvania Farm Show – largely due to the efforts of two fair organizers in Lebanon and Lancaster counties.

Dana Lape, who serves on the entertainment committee for the Lebanon Area Fair, and his cousin Tim McGowan, who serves in a similar position for the Elizabethtown Fair (in addition to his role as photographer for the Lebanon Area Fair), decided to resurrect the Farm Show tradition this year.

McGowan said in a press release that the talent contest wasn’t held for “a bunch of years … due to loss of sponsorship and lack of leadership.”

Both of their community fairs hold talent competitions, the release says, “and it seems there has always been a lot of interest in them from all ages, but the fairs get pretty much regional entries. This contest is open to all Pennsylvania residents and should garner some great competition!”

The cousins secured permission and cooperation for the event through the Friends of the Farm Show, then determined a budget for the event. The competition is scheduled from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, on the Lancaster Farming Stage in the Giant Expo Hall. In case of bad weather, the event will be moved to the same time and place on Wednesday, Jan. 14. (If the backup date isn’t needed for the competition, Gillian Smith and her Guitarist Sarah Sheriff will perform in that slot.)

Judges are now being chosen and sponsors – including local country music radio station Froggy 100.1 – are being gathered, the release says.

Although a third judge has not yet been chosen, the first two to be named are performer Gillian Smith, who has performed all over the East Coast and Maya Talarico, a local performer and songwriter who has won the Farm Show competition twice. (Now 18, her first win came when she was 10 years old.)

Dan Jamison, sound man for the contest, said that sound files used as backing tracks must be emailed in advance to info@dan-jam.com, either as MP3, aiff or wave files. “This will help move the show along more smoothly because each act will be permitted 3 to 5 minutes including set up and tear down,” the release notes.

Froggy 100.1 is providing trophies for the winners. The CPMA Association has offered the first-place winner an opening act spot at a show at the Englewood in Hershey on a date to be determined, as well as tickets to the 2026 CPMA Awards.

A first-place cash award of $500 will be provided by MGD Tractor and Equipment of Myerstown. The second-place prize of $250 is from the Sotweed Factor, and $150 third-place prize is being sponsored by Lebanon Federal Credit Union.

The contest is open residents of Pennsylvania to all ages. Vocal and non-vocal performances will be judged in youth categories of 12 and under and 13 to 19, and an adult category for competitors aged 20 and over.

Deadline for entries is 7:30 p.m. Jan. 10. Rules can be found here.

For more information, call McGowan at 717-228-5357 or email tmstudio@comcast.net. The registration form can be found online.