Seneca Valley senior named state Junior Fair Person of the Year
Lily Ansell intends to study psychology in college in the fall after she graduates from Seneca Valley High School, but her plans include remaining active in agriculture and the Butler Farm Show, which gained her statewide recognition.
In January, Ansell, 18, of Renfrew, was named state Junior Fair Person of the Year by the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs in recognition of her years of volunteer work for the Butler Farm Show, including serving as a member of the junior board of directors.
This year is her 10th and final year as a member of Butler County 4-H, in which she is president of the dairy club.
“I’m not going into agriculture, but I still want to be involved in agriculture and the Butler Farm Show,” Ansell said.
She said her family has a long history raising and showing dairy cows. She represents the fourth generation of her family to exhibit dairy cattle at the farm show. She has shown her cattle at the All American Dairy Show in Harrisburg and the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wis. She also shows market cows and hogs at the farm show.
Her father, Jeff, was the herd manager at Marburger Farm Dairy before he changed jobs, but her family still milks 75 cows at the Marburger farm and a leased farm in Evans City.
Ansell said the farm show junior board is involved in many events at the farm show, raises money for the show, is planning a bingo night at the Unionville Volunteer Fire Company hall March 1 and holds an annual square dance that draws 100 to 150 people.
At the farm show, the junior board runs the children's watermelon eating contest and the Supreme Master Showman contest for 4-H showmen.
“It’s always a fun competition,” Ansell said.
The junior board helps the farm show’s board of directors by working with other volunteers to set up tents and make other preparations for the annual weeklong show.
There are 107 agricultural fairs every year in the state, and the association divides the state into four zones for the Junior Fair Person of the Year competition. Butler County is in the northwestern area, Zone 1
Following last year’s farm show in August, Ansell was named Zone 1 Junior Fair Person of the Year in October.
The association held interviews with all four zone winners before selecting Ansell as the Junior Fair Person of the Year. She was presented the award in January at the association’s annual convention in Hershey, and she will hold the title until the 2026 convention.
She said her award is not as formal as the association’s Pennsylvania Fair Queen award, but she is proud of it because it recognizes volunteer work at local fairs.
Her plans for the upcoming fair season include visiting fairs in other counties such as Washington, Crawford and Beaver.
“This year, before I head off to college, I want to visit some other fairs to see what those fairs are like and take ideas back to the Butler County fair,” Ansell said.
