Lebanon Area Fair Queen Olivia Morrisey of Lebanon County was crowned the 2026 Pennsylvania Fair Queen on Saturday, January 24 at the 113th annual convention of the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs and Pennsylvania State Showmen’s Association.

Morrisey was one of 65 contestants who were evaluated by a panel of three judges on their written and speaking skills, knowledge of the fair and agricultural industries, and their poise and personal presentation in business attire.

Olivia is the daughter of Jim and Amy Morrissey. She is a 2025 graduate of Annville-Cleona High School and is currently a freshman studying Fashion Design. Her high school activities included Student Council, National Honor Society, Mini-Thon Committee, and she was a leader for her school’s students for Christ club. Olivia also participated in the tennis, basketball, and track teams. She was a member of the 4-H Friends Club of Lebanon County from the age of 8 to 18, focusing on her sewing and leadership skills. One of her favorite parts of the summer is volunteering at the Lebanon Area Fair with the competitive exhibits where she is often an exhibitor.

Shippensburg Community Fair Queen Rory Jones, of Franklin County was selected as 2026 Alternate. The daughter of Timothy and Melissa Jones, Rory is a senior at Shippensburg Area Senior High School and plans to attend college for livestock and equine science. She is participating in the Ship Start program where she is taking college classes. She is a gymnastics class coach and works at a privately-owned equestrian barn.

Rory is involved in the Shippensburg varsity cheerleading team, student athletic training, and is an active member of the mini-THON club.

The other top five finalists were Albion Area Fair Queen Tiffany Lowe; Franklin County Fair Queen Laine Hess; and Somerset County Fair Queen Jovi Jeske. Annalee McCray, from the Denver Fair was chosen as Miss Congeniality by her fellow contestants.

“We are reminded that this is more than a crown”, said PA Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding, “It is about service and leadership and strength, and using the voice to make agriculture accessible, valued and understood. It invites young women to step forward to engage with their communities and to represent agriculture with pride. And so, for each of our fair queens, every handshake and every conversation have an impact. So, as we place the crown on the next fair queen, remember this: The crown is not the reward. It is the responsibility. It represents strength and courage and the power to make a difference. Wear it proudly and live it boldly.”

Each of the 65 contestants prepared a brief speech highlighting why people should come to her county or community fair and wrote an essay about the fair’s significance in her local community. They were interviewed by the panel of three judges and gave a stage introduction during the PA Fairs’ annual banquet.

The top five finalists were chosen and gave impromptu answers to the final question: “If you knew your next social media post would go viral, what would you post and why.” Olivia Morrissey answered that she would share about agricultural education. “Unfortunately, agricultural education is at a challenging point in a lot of other states,” said Morrissey. “If I were able to go viral across the country, I would like to inform others about the importance of our agriculture and our farmers, and how what they do affects our everyday lives and everything that we do.”

Olivia and Rory will now travel across the Commonwealth to advocate for fairs and to share the story of the impact fairs have on Pennsylvania. Olivia will also serve as an honorary member of the Pennsylvania Farm Show Junior Committee during her time as the 2026 PA Fair Queen and will be a contributor to the Friends of the Pennsylvania Farm Show Foundation’s and the PA State Association of County Fair’s newsletters.

Both Olivia and Rory will receive scholarships from the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs at the end of their reigns in January 2027. They were crowned by outgoing Alternate Brooke Beamesderfer from the Lebanon Area Fair and the 2025 PA Fair Queen Ava Immel from the West Lampeter Community Fair.