When Sally Nolt walked into a meeting about the Elizabethtown Fair 42 years ago, she probably had no idea how much she would impact the annual community event. But at that very first meeting, she was elected to the board of directors as secretary of the fair. It's a position she'd held ever since.

Now Nolt is being honored for her service. In January, she received the Pennsylvania 2024 State Fair Person of the Year award at the annual banquet of the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs (PSACF).

Nolt, who was nominated by Elizabethtown Fair committee members through an application this past October, had no idea she was up for the award. As she listened to the biographical information about the winner, much of it sounded familiar.

"I was shocked when I realized it was me they were talking about," she said with a laugh. She was presented with the award and then celebrated her win at a reception after the banquet at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center. Being chosen as the winner out of nominees from more than 100 state fairs in the organization was an honor, Nolt said.

Even though Nolt was new to the fair committee when she came to that first meeting, her experience with the fair itself dates to the 1970s.

"My father was active with the fair back when Kiwanis had the farm show," she recalled. "I grew up with that. In the '70s, I was a Jayceette when the fair first started, and I co-chaired the only food stand at the fair at that time. My roots go back to the very beginning of the fair."

In 1982, the Elizabethtown Fair became incorporated, and soon after Nolt was invited to a fair board meeting.

"I didn't know anything about the board," she said, joking that it was a setup because the board members knew she'd say yes to volunteering.

Over the years, Nolt has worn many hats with the fair. She has served continuously as secretary, currently prepares the annual premium book and chairs the publicity committee.

Thirty-four years ago, she was elected to the PSACF board of directors, where she served on the following committees: budget, bylaws, communication, credentials, fair person of the year, legislative, scholarship, queen, resolutions, round tables, seminars, showcase, special baking contests, tourism and zone PR. She also served the PSACF as president from 2019 to 2021, steering the organization through the pandemic.

Nolt was one of six individuals selected to receive a 2018 Heritage Award, given by the International Association of Fairs and Expositions to fair management personnel who have invested significant effort into making their organization a valuable part of the community.

To be eligible for the PSACF State Fair Person of the Year, the honoree must be involved with the fair industry for at least 10 years and must have contributed to the fair industry not only at his or her own fair but also at the state level, preferably in a leadership role.

Nolt was a teacher for 37 years in the Manheim Central School District. She graduated from West Chester University and Millersville University and earned her Doctorate of Education from Temple University. Now retired, she splits her time between her two daughters and four grandchildren and fair business. She also handles the processing of death certificates as a part-time job as Registrar of Vital Statistics through the Department of Health.

While the Elizabethtown Fair is only one week in August, fair business is a year-round endeavor for Nolt.

"We're already working on 2026," she said. "It's the 250th anniversary (of the country). We're looking to challenge the different departments to do something for the 250th, even if it's something small."

She's also hard at work proofing the premium book for the 2025 fair. This year's Elizabethtown Fair will run from Monday, Aug. 18, through Saturday, Aug. 23.

Even though she's 79 years old, Nolt isn't slowing down. She said she never gets tired of supporting an event that means so much to so many people.

"It really is the biggest and the best thing this community has," she said. "For the kids and the animals, we don't limit it to 4-H and FFA members. We let any kids show. Watching the kids show their animals is exciting. Then you go into the church where the creative entries are (Elizabethtown Brethren in Christ Church) and you see everything everybody's done in the last year, and they're sharing it with the community. It's something to see every year."

She noted that a lot of people plan their summer vacations around the fair, and people who have moved away travel back to the fair annually.

"For the kids and teens, it's a last gathering with their friends before school gets started," she said. "Businesses get to showcase themselves. For churches and civic organizations, it's their main fundraiser for many of them, and that money goes right back into the community."