The Schuylkill County Fair placed second in the Department of Agriculture's PA Preferred Display Contest and will have its display showcased at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg next month.
Paul T. Kennedy, Schuylkill County Fair president, said Monday that on Jan. 5, the Schuylkill County Fair will be honored with an award, which includes a cash prize of $500.
It will also be featured on Jan. 3 at the PA Preferred VIP reception at the farm show, and again recognized during the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs Convention in Hershey from Jan. 22 to 25.
The Schuylkill County Fair's PA Preferred Display was on display at the fair earlier this year.
"I am very proud of our fair and this accomplishment," Kennedy said. "It really was just a celebration of our agricultural community right here at the fair. Not only did we have a large amount of PA Preferred products, but we had 100 percent PA Preferred products that set us aside from the others."
Kennedy said that the PA Preferred program was put on by the Department of Agriculture and highlights produce and products made or processed in Pennsylvania.
Some products in Schuylkill County that he said are PA Preferred include iced tea from Guers Dairy, beer from D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc., wine from Benigna's Creek Vineyard and Winery, which uses Pennsylvania-grown grapes, and even caskets from the Schuylkill Haven Casket Company which uses wood from the state as well.
"It's not just agriculture as one would think," Kennedy said. "It's every aspect of agriculture, including lumber."
The display contest encompassed all 103 fairs in Schuylkill County, which Kennedy said that on average, 6 million people visit each summer.
Each display was graded by a panel from the Department of Agriculture and there was a set of guides, which mostly included displaying a certain number of PA Preferred products.
While the Schuylkill County Fair placed second, first was the Huntingdon County Fair and third was the Oley Valley Community Fair in Berks County, Kennedy said.
All three displays will be set up at the PA Farm Show that will be held from Jan. 4 to 11.
Agriculture Secretary George Grieg will present the award at 3:30 p.m. Jan. 5.
"On a personal note, I would also like to take this moment to congratulate and thank my mother, Denise, and everyone else that was involved with this year's display," Kennedy said. "You are helping to make our fair shine like the diamond it is."