2026 Lebanon Area Fair sees large crowds at many events at week-long run

The 70th edition of the Lebanon Area Fair will be remembered for huge crowds, beautiful weather, and being a little bit different than past editions. 

“It’s been a really good year, awesome, actually,” said Dana Lape, co-chair of the entertainment committee. “Our crowds have been fantastic. We had one day of rain, which I think was Tuesday, but other than that, man, it’s been great with record-breaking crowds.”

Lape noted that events throughout the week were generally jam-packed. Tuesday, another fair volunteer noted, did see the food booths close early due to inclement weather, but most of the week had sunny skies, low humidity, and a pleasant breeze.  

“(Thursday’s) Main Stage was fantastic. The coolest thing was the concert we had on that stage with Stephanie Grace and Jess Zimmerman Band, and they brought another girl in. … That was really cool. There was a mini-concert vibe at that stage,” Lape said. “The track’s been full too, which is pretty cool. People in the Lebanon Valley appreciate what we’re doing out here because it takes a lot of work. Most of us are out here three weeks before the fair begins.”

Lape noted that the move to bring in even more diverse entertainment like the sea lion show was a huge draw and was part of a conscious decision to be different in 2026. It was the Lebanon Area Fair premiere for the sea lions, which were transported from Texas to entertain fairgoers.

“This was the year of thinking outside of the box. More people should do that when they do events and things, make them as entertaining and as exciting as you can,” Lape said. “The big thing we had this year was the sea lion show. We paid a lot of money to get that in here for our 70th anniversary.”

Suzy Bartholo, who works with the sea lions during their 20-minute show while husband Willian Tavares plays emcee to the crowd, told LebTown they couldn’t have been happier with attendance, noting people waited an hour or more in the bleachers to get one of the best seats in the house for the show. 

“We are really pleased with the crowds here at the show and the hospitality that has been extended to us during our time here,” she said, adding that the photo booth for a picture with the seals had excellent sales throughout their run. There were shows on the weekend at 5, 7, and 9 p.m., and 7 and 9 p.m. during the eight-day fair.

“We’re already looking at bringing them back one day,” said Lape. “Most likely in five years for the fair’s 75th anniversary. They said they felt like they were in a southern state because the people in southern states have such hospitality. They didn’t expect that in Pennsylvania, but they had it here and they said this was one of the neatest fairs that they’ve ever been to. So that’s a pretty cool thing.” 

Lape added further kudos to the appeal of the Sea Lion Splash show to attendees.

“People sat there for an hour to an hour and a half before the show just so they’d have a good seat, ’cause it gets so full up there at that event,” Lape said. “That’s been the best midway show we’ve ever had.”

Harry Bachman, president of the Lebanon Valley Expo Center’s board, said he spends most evenings at the track working those ticketed events, and noted attendance has been great this year, including the annual tractor pull contest.

“I don’t get to see much of it (the rest of the fair) at night because I’m either in here (the arena) or I’m up on the track. I know that at the track events I was at, the seats were full. Then, of course, Tuesday night, the track got rained out,” Bachman said. “But the trash volunteers said there was a lot of trash. That’s a good indication there were a lot of people here this week.”

Lebanon County Commissioner Bob Phillips, who volunteers with fellow commissioner Mike Kuhn on trash duty during the fair, said Friday afternoon that the consistent volume he removed indicated that it’s been a strong year for attendance. 

That volume of trash is obviously generated by hungry fairgoers who come to sample a multitude of delicious foods that are served at the fair.

Jodi Dresch, chair of the refreshments committee, said fair officials are pleased with food sales at the outdoor and indoor eateries, including the annual pot pie special on Tuesday and Friday’s fish fry meal combo. Both of those meals sold out, she said, with volunteers serving nearly 300 fish sandwiches that came with cole slaw, french fries, and a drink in about 1.5 hours.

A volunteer worker said the fair could probably have sold another 100 meals since people had to be turned away after they ran out of fish by about 12:30 p.m. Both eateries begin meal service at 11 a.m. each day of the fair.

Dresch also said the ham and chicken BBQ dinners, which is chaired by her mother Carol Kreider, were also sellouts, with 3,500 ham dinners being served Sunday and another 3,500 chicken BBQ dinners being purchased for Thursday’s event. After eating their dinners, many came to the Outdoor Eatery to top off their meal with ice cream, she added.

Proceeds for both BBQs benefit the Lebanon County 4-H and FFA programs, particularly their scholarship initiatives. The ham BBQ is so popular that tickets had sold out before the 2026 fair even began, according to Jenny Balmer, chair of the fair office committee.

“It’s definitely above average,” Dresch said about overall food sales at the fair’s two eateries, which are staffed by fair volunteers. “It really was a great year. Last night (Thursday) the fairgrounds were packed. Tonight (Friday) they have the tough trucks (competition).”

Dresch said she had to order more potatoes for the fresh-cut french fries that are served at the Outdoor Eatery because nearly four tons would be consumed by the time the fair closed on Friday.

A total of 8,150 pounds of potatoes were expected to be sold through Friday and 700 pounds of pork roll already had been sold. Dresch said 800 pounds of pork was originally ordered and another 200 pounds was added to the original count to have enough to finish out the fair, which closed on Saturday, Aug. 1, after the annual demolition derby show and fireworks display.

Not only was it a banner year for fair attendance but there was an outstanding turnout for 4-H and FFA members bringing their animals to the fair. 

“A record-breaking number of animals,” Lape said, “more than probably almost any other fair in the state.”

The overall number of fair entries across every category was high this year, too. 

Balmer said 7,508 entries – and counting as of Friday afternoon – had been received at the fair office compared to 7,470 in 2025. That number could rise with track events still pending, she added. As of Friday afternoon, there were 2,706 different exhibitors, which rose from 2,242 the previous year, according to a statistics sheet provided by Balmer to LebTown. 

“The weather’s been great and we also (traditionally) have very good sales, so that also helps our animal (entry) numbers as well,” Balmer said, adding the small animal market sale earlier in the week generated $450,000 for their owners while Friday’s large market animal sale saw an additional $450,000 for those young exhibitors.

The attendance at the Sunday morning worship service, which had ideal weather conditions, may have witnessed a record attendance, according to organizer John Kline. He estimated the crowd in the high hundreds since Wenger Pavilion can seat 300 individuals with the area around that location overflowing with worshippers, too.

Lape estimated the crowd at Thursday’s annual mullet contest was around 500 to 600 people, with attendees spilling outside of the Beef Barn. 

The first-ever beard contest was added this year by the Junior Fair Committee, which was founded in 2024, and that event was won by Lebanon Valley Exposition Center & Fairgrounds employee John Risser, who sports a beard reminiscent of Santa Claus.  

Nancy Gates, president of Visit Lebanon Valley, said the fair is appealing because it provides family entertainment to the public for a low price of $5 admission after 3 p.m. and is free prior to those who arrive before admission is charged. 

Lape noted he’s been on the fair board since 1998 and called this one of, if not the best-ever, attended fairs that he could recall. He cited a conversation he had with Dick Kreider, one of the fair’s long-time board members and advocates who was integral to helping it grow over the years.

“Mr. Kreider said something last year. He’s not with us this year because he passed away but Mr. Kreider looked at me and said, ‘We built a monster here,’” Lape said.