Logan Family Farms, Pleasant Lane Farms serve up local, farm-to-fair dishes during Westmoreland Fair

For the third year in a row, Logan Family Farms and Pleasant Lane Farms have teamed up to offer a farm-to-fair booth at the Westmoreland Fair, a nine-day event that began Friday and will last until Saturday, Aug. 26.

Farm-to-fair means utilizing locally grown produce to serve up fresh food for customers, according to Joann Logan, of Logan Family Farms in Irwin.

Along with dairy products like a variety of cheese and cheese curds from The Creamery at Pleasant Lane Farms, which is in Latrobe, and meat like beef and pork from Logan Family Farms, the pair has created a variety of prepared dishes.

The booth offers burgers, smoked ham and beef sandwiches, poutine, a double stack sandwich with bourbon mustard and horseradish, and steak salad. Fair-goers can also order what’s called a “walking farmer,” which has grilled sirloin kebabs, chicken breast, zucchini, tomatoes, onions and peppers.

Logan, 69, said she’s been alive since the fair’s inception in 1954, and though she was just born, She said her mother-in-law remembers showing a cow at the first fair, which took place at Idlewild.

Both Logan and her husband, along with Logan’s son and his wife, met at the fair.

To her, the fair is more than just an agricultural exhibition — “it’s a whole culture.”

She referenced funny instances, including a goat eating someone’s grand champion ribbon, a chicken going missing, a cow having a calf in the barn, a stiff wind blowing over flower vases, and somebody’s boyfriend hanging out at the fair with another girl.

“The drama never ends here,” Logan said.

Jason Frye, an owner of Pleasant Lane Farms, has been involved with the Westmoreland Fair since he was little as well.

Frye, 49, of Latrobe, said he was around 7 years old when he showed his first cow. His favorite part of the fair is catching up with old friends.

He believes the farm-to-fair booth allows the two farms to bring “something a little bit different to the fairgrounds.” They started the booth when the fair reopened after the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s somewhat controlled chaos,” Frye said of the booth. “We’re farmers, we’re all small business owners — we can’t shut the farm down while we’re here.”

He said their lease is up on the booth after this year’s fair, and the two farms will discuss if they can “juggle everything” to keep it operational for next year.

“It’s an intense operation for people who are farmers at heart,” Logan said, laughing. “We’re not chefs or food service folks, so it’s been a learning curve.”

Logan said she believes the character of the people is what really makes the Westmoreland Fair.

“They have a work ethic; they’re honest; they’re friends to the end — they look out for each other,” Logan said.

Both agreed the Westmoreland Fair highlights local agriculture, which is one of the leading industries in Pennsylvania — even though Westmoreland County, itself, is now classified as “urban” instead of “rural,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The industry is close to Logan’s heart, she said, as well as close to her pocketbook.

Frye said the Westmoreland Fair is an opportunity to “reach our consumers.”

“A lot of consumers in Westmoreland County don’t know where their food comes from — they drive by it every day, and I think this is their chance to see it.”