Lebanon Area Fair a family affair

For the Horning family, exhibiting at the Lebanon Area Fair is a tradition passed on from parent to child.

In their childhood, siblings Dustin Horning, Lindsay Thomas, and Kelly Zimmerman showed cattle, following in the footsteps of their father Paul Horning. Now, Horning’s and Zimmerman’s children show dairy beef, with Thomas’s eldest soon coming of age to show as well.

Growing up on their family’s dairy farm, the trio of siblings each started showing dairy cattle at age eight, following in their father’s footsteps.

Zimmerman recalled that, living on the farm and not going to a lot of events, “We lived for fair week every year.”

Though fair week was always fun, Horning said, it took every day to prepare, something he said instilled good values in him growing up.

“I was always competitive, I always wanted to win and I put a lot of work in it,” said Horning. “Once you get that project animal, every day matters for what it’s gonna be in the showroom.”

Thomas echoed this sentiment, saying that, “You had to work year round, it wasn’t just fair week.”

Horning said that when he had kids, he knew he wanted them to show animals when they were old enough.

“Of course our kids are gonna do it, they learn the value of taking care of animals,” he said. “They learn how to properly take care of them and meet their needs.”

For Zimmerman, it was a harder decision, as her family does not live on a farm but she still wanted her kids to learn responsibility through showing. They take care of cows in a barn adjacent to their house.

Her son Kaiden Zimmerman said he felt he had learned a lot in his time showing dairy beef.

“It gives you a sense of ownership, good work ethic, and it prepares you for your future,” he said. “How to win and how to lose too.”

Next year, Thomas’s son will be old enough to participate in the fair for the first time, which she said she hopes he will be able to do though her family does not live on a farm.

“It’s more significant now that we’re adults,” said Thomas of her experience showing as a kid, reflecting on no longer living on a farm. “We see so much more value in agriculture than we did growing up.”

The Lebanon Area Fair started as the Lebanon County 4-H Fair in 1957, though it only moved to the fair grounds in 1969. Lebanon 4-H and Future Farmers of America date back even earlier. And many kids showing animals each year attribute that to their parents’ and grandparents’ participation as youth.

On the family’s continued participation in youth showing, Zimmerman said, “This is a way we can continue the legacy of agriculture.”