Continuing a family tradition at the fair
AUGUSTA. It takes a vast network of volunteers to make the New Jersey State Fair-Sussex County Farm & Horse Show happen each year.
| 30 Jul 2025 | 08:36
For Stillwater Mayor Lisa Chammings, volunteering at the fair is a family tradition. Her mother volunteered, and Chammings competed in tractor pull competitions with her father. (Photo provided)
The New Jersey State Fair-Sussex County Farm & Horse Show not only will showcase cattle, flowers and vegetables this year. It also features a strong network of volunteers who support the fair.
Lisa Chammings, a recently retired science teacher and mayor of Stillwater, is one of them.
She has been an integral part of the fair’s floral show for more than a decade. She became director in 2016 and has worked to preserve and grow the show in honor of her family.
“My mom was extremely active in the fair,” she said. “I actually do a lot of what I do in memory and in honor of my parents.”
Her family has been volunteering there since the 1960s.
Chammings’ mother, Lois, was a longtime volunteer, dedicating time to the fair’s administration, working in the agricultural and 4H areas, and serving on the executive board.
As a child, Chammings often competed in the tractor pull competitions with her father, Ed.
“I’m a proud Sussex County resident who invests much of my time into the rural characteristics of the county,” she said.
’A fair family’
The fair and the many volunteers who make it possible have developed into a community of their own.
“It’s a fair family,” said Joe Phillips, director of the beef and cattle show.
Phillips, too, is a second-generation volunteer. The Lafayette resident has been involved with the fair since he was a young child.
His parents were volunteers, and his family was involved with the 4-H program. As a child, Joe helped them show off their cattle at the fair’s beef show, which he now runs.
“I’ve been involved in it basically in one way or another my whole life,” he said.
One of the most fulfilling aspects of his volunteer work is watching young children grow into responsible cattle managers. He’s grateful that he can help provide the same space for learning that he had as a boy through 4-H.
Both Phillips and Chammings mentioned how important it is to get young people involved. The chance to help foster a new generation of dedicated fair volunteers is something to be proud of, they said.
