Growing up on a farm you were always excited for one week out of the year; the week of the Pennsylvania Farm show. The 101^st year of the event brought in large crowds and tons of new vendors and exhibits. There are events that take place within the large and small arenas and other areas of the complex which are scheduled and printed out on catalogs and flyers available in the lobby.

If you enter the Cameron St. Lobby you will be able to take a left, a right or go straight into the Equine Arena. Taking a right you will find yourself in the food court or the Weis Exposition Hall where there are tons of vendors, exhibits and farm equipment. A left will lead you to the flight of stairs (or escalators) that will take you to a hallway that brings you to the New Holland Large Arena. Going further down the hall you will find more exploring routes. First, you will make your way through the North Hall which houses the cows. A left from there and you find yourself in the Northeast Hall. A right and you're in the Northwest Hall. If you venture through the North Hall you will find yourself in the Small Arena which then leads you to the Main Hall where you can find the butter sculpture. Off of the small arena, there are also West and East halls.

View of the New Holland Large Arena

If there’s one thing that you have to absolutely do while you’re at the complex, it’s see the butter sculpture. I mean come on, what’s the point of even going there if you don’t capture that sight? This year the sculpture theme was “culture of stewardship,” or being aware of your surroundings and managing resources. The sculpture is 1,000 pounds of butter and the tradition started in 1991 making this the 26^th to be created and showcased.

2017 Butter Sculpture in the Main Hall

Growing up around this type of atmosphere was probably the coolest thing ever. Not only did I get a free pass to visit because it’s super educational, but I always got to spend quality time with my family members.

I made my round through the entire complex multiple times and each time I found something new. The cool thing about this place is how much you can learn and how interactive it is for children. This year there was a featured scavenger hunt that took your children throughout the whole complex. At each stop there was an opportunity to learn something. I happened to pick up a few things from one stand where there were coloring books and temporary tattoos of insects that the kids could learn about.

In the Main Hall of the complex is where you can find samples upon samples upon samples. Food samples ranged from different cheeses to dry rubs to wine, which was popular and crowded, and then you have your meat selection, which had long lines. I had to make a pit-stop at the cannoli stand and grab two for the ride home.

Antique Tractor Display and Farm Activity in the Equine Arena

Walking around is fun but you have to make sure you watch where you’re stepping. This is no white-tie-affair but you do need to dress appropriately. There are cows, horses, sheep, goats, alpacas, you name it, and they all leave their mark.

In the bunny exhibit in the East Hall, everyone got a chance to pet the cuddly little guys. In the same building, there were alpacas. When I walked up to the alpaca’s, the owner started spouting off facts about the animals and that was interesting and got my attention. I couldn’t help but make my way to them quickly because one of them had sunglasses on! Yes, sunglasses! In the same area I also found a pair of hopping baby goats who were happy with all of the attention. They were jumping from the hay-bails, on tops of one another, and on top of their mom.

Huacaya Alpaca in the East Hall

When I finally decided to take a seat, I did so in the Large Arena where they were showcasing the Draft Horse Hitch and Drive show. This part of the farm show is great because after the show they do a question and answer where you can learn some fun facts.

New Holland Large Arena Draft Horse Hitch and Drive Show

After that show was over I went to the Small Arena for the Youth Fleece-to-Shawl contest. There are teams of five, where they compete to shear a sheep, spin the fleece and weave it into a shawl, all in a couple of hours. This was a really cool experience and they even bring around the final project to show everyone.

I have to say, the best part of my day was going through the butterfly exhibit. For just $2 you get to feed butterflies. There are thousands in the tent and they will land right on your person. Other notable events were the duck slide where you could watch ducklings literally slide down a slide into a pool which was way too cute. Beside that there were hundreds of eggs in an incubator where they would hatch right in front of your eyes. In the same area you could watch piglets rest next to their mother.

Hatching chickens in the Weis Exposition Hall

This place is full of some of the nicest people you’ll meet who are eager to speak with you and teach you their ways of life. If you’re looking for a nice day trip to bring your family on, I highly suggest next year’s event. It’s not only fun but it’s very educational. Just make sure you don’t forget to suck down a famous milkshake.