SUMMIT STATION, Pa. — Paul Kennedy says Schuylkill County Fair Week is his favorite time of the year.
The Schuylkill County Fair is celebrating its 40th birthday, and Kennedy's family has taken part every year, making him the residential fair historian.
"Our museum is one of the largest museums in Pennsylvania, and we have so many of these large pieces here in the permanent collection," said Kennedy, the Schuylkill County Fair president.
The Schuylkill County Agricultural Museum is the perfect place to start your fair experience to learn about the history of the people who call this area home. The site includes some of Kennedy's family heirlooms.
"I have a christening gown down in the office from 1939 that my mother's grandmother exhibited here in the 1939 fair," he mentioned.
Kennedy shares how his family is like many in Schuylkill County, making the fair a summer tradition.
"Not only are we having the past here with our agricultural heritage with the tractors and the other pieces in our museum, but we're learning about agriculture in general," he said.
Kennedy says the best way to learn about the farm is to get up close and personal with the animals. And for this year's fair, you'll have lots of opportunities.
"We have record-breaking numbers of livestock and a record-breaking amount of livestock exhibitors," explained Kennedy.
Exhibitors have been preparing their animals for the past year, including Emilie Geary, who is showing lambs for the first time.
"We had to wash them. We touched them up with clippers. We brushed them and made sure they're all ready (for blue ribbon competition)," she said.
But the ones showing the animals wear many hats at the Schuylkill County Fair by participating and educating their peers on how agriculture plays a significant role in the county.
"The 4-H company, they come to schools and teach all about this," said Jaxson Allery from Orwigsburg.
"Those dairy products that you see every day in the morning or at the grocery store, they all come from our dairy farmers," Lexi Butler, Schuylkill County Dairy Princess, added.
"(We're) helping the people of Schuylkill County understand where their food comes from and understanding their agricultural heritage," Kennedy said.