06/24/2026
I reshare this every year at this time because it deserves to be repeated. In honor of the Boone County Fair this week I wanted to share a fun county fair story about a remarkable and influential woman.
My late aunt, Esther Stuber, was a force in her community. In 1978 she won the Ephrata Fair milking contest against several men. She was exceedingly proud of this accomplishment and delighted how surprised the men were. Though she suffered from dementia in her later years she could always remember the story of her win complete with milking hand gestures. When she passed, the one thing I wanted as a remembrance of my beloved aunt was her trophy which I display with her picture in my family room. I have since passed the trophy on to her beloved grandson who treasures it even more than I did.
From her obituary: Esther “graduated from Ephrata High School and from the Lancaster YWCA Practical Nursing School. In 1937, she and Harold became house-parents at Milton Hershey School (Hershey Industrial School). She continued contact with some of her "boys" for more than 50 years. Following a period as a volunteer Grey Lady at Ephrata Community Hospital, she became an LPN in the maternity department.
At the age of 14, she joined Lancaster County Society of Farm Women #3, a membership she continued for more than 80 years. She served as county secretary and President of Society #3. As a young girl, she joined Swamp Church, Reinholds (Blainsport) and maintained her membership through various denominational changes. During the years of serving the United Church of Christ, she served in the choir, president of Willing Workers and taught Sunday School. At present, the church is known as Swamp Christian Fellowship.
Her community service included 25 years as a 4-H Sewing Club Leader; multiple terms on the Ephrata Fair Association Board of Directors; and serving as the Republican Committee Woman in West Cocalico Township. She found personal satisfaction in cooking, baking, and making Easter Candy. She was always ready to bake for a worthy cause such as the Schoeneck School children when they came to visit. The kitchen at Swamp Church and the Farm Women food stand at the Ephrata Fair were two places she put her talents to a good cause.”
