We recommend everyone takes some time to visit a county fair.

It perhaps goes without saying that these fairs offer families a lot of fun and a lot of food. But what’s more important is that they offer people from across the county and the surrounding communities a glimpse into important parts of the fabric of rural living.

“Agriculture remains a critical part of our state’s economy and our region,” we noted a year ago. “As the state Department of Agriculture notes, the agricultural sector contributes about $132.5 billion to Pennsylvania’s economy annually and supports more than 590,000 jobs.”

Farming “can be a difficult career, the demands of which are more akin to a lifestyle than the 9-to-5 jobs with which many may be better acquainted,” we noted. “But it also is a vital career, responsible for feeding and clothing millions of Americans. … We also need an appreciation for the sacrifices they make and a better frame of reference for how consumers, friends and neighbors of farmers can help them prosper so they can address those elemental needs.”

We are grateful for 4-H programs, cornerstones of county fairs across Pennsylvania. 4-H teaches young people the importance of the calling of agriculture and the values and principles that give our rural communities their character.

We believe that the hard work of youngsters in 4-H will also teach fair-goers of all ages an appreciation for the role farming played in our state’s past and plays in our state’s present.

So, again, we encourage everyone to visit a local county fair and other fairs in our region and learn about the lives’ work that feeds our communities and made Pennsylvania what it is.