Each year, as the days get chillier and the sun starts setting earlier in the evening, excitement sweeps over the county. September ushers in not only the start of a new school year, but also the autumn season and the traditions and festivities that accompany it. The 98th annual West Lampeter Fair returned on Sept. 22 and drew hundreds of attendees.

The fair kicked off at noon on its first day and featured many community-favorite activities, such a children's petting zoo, market animal shows, hot dog pig racing and parades. Lines of hungry people stretched across the fairgrounds, waiting to get their hands on milkshakes, french fries, hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage sandwiches, pit beef sandwiches, funnel cakes, apple dumplings and other customary fair foods.

To wrap up the first day of festivities, a new fair queen was crowned after competing with several young women from the area, each representing a different club or extracurricular activity at Lampeter-Strasburg High School. Each student was asked the question "If government officials wanted to cut funding for the fair and cease the tradition, how would you convince them to keep it running?" Although each contestant gave a unique response, there was consistency in the answers: the tradition of the fair is too important to the community. The fair queen contestants cited the joy that the fair brings each year, the traditions deeply ingrained over the nearly 100 years it has been held and its significance to each of the queen candidates personally.

After a close competition, Kiera Knapp, representing Scrub Club, was crowned the West Lampeter Fair queen of 2022. The runner-up was Lana Dyer, who represented the Tri-M Music Honor Society. "I'm so grateful for this opportunity, and I can't wait to represent my fair," said Knapp. "I always love coming to the fair; it's a time of year everyone looks forward to and is happy to be a part of." Last year's fair queen Brooke Smith commenced the activity by singing the national anthem and concluded it with a speech as she passed the torch to the next bearer of the crown.

The second and third days of the fair saw the baby parade, the children's sunflower contest, a concert from the Lampeter-Strasburg High School marching band, tractor games, horse shows, a tractor pull competition and, of course, more hot dog pig racing.

The West Lampeter Fair has grown to become one of the community's most beloved traditions over the last 98 years, and local residents will continue to anticipate the beginning of the fall season for many years to come.

Check out photos from the fair at http://www.townlively.com/in-the-community.