We caught up with Mr. Troy Longenecker to learn more about his hometown before he steps “Inside the Ring” to sort the Junior Sheep Show at the 2025 North Dakota State Fair. Get to know Troy below!
Where did you grow up?
Annville, PA. 15 mins from the sweetest place on earth where you can smell the cocoa beans roasting in Hershey and the fresh air of Lancaster Amish Country.
How many kids were in your graduating class?
Roughly 150
If we go back to your senior year of high school, what song was “your song”?
It’s a toss up between:
“Ridin Solo” -Jason Derulo &
“Not Afraid” -Eminem
Were you involved in any extracurricular activities? If so, what?
Far from an athlete when it took me over 12mins to run the mile in PE. But I was a singer in all the choral groups and did play some Baseball. FFA and livestock was pretty much my involvement.
If you could describe your hometown in one word, what would it be?
College town! Our farm too, we are the first farm out of town and share a driveway with Lebanon Valley College. My current lambing barn and hay fields are owned by the college since my grandparents passed and bought that part of the estate. Small, one red light town that fills up over the school year.
Were there any local traditions or festivals you loved?
PA Dutch country, we eat Pork & Sauerkraut for good luck in the New Year. We also drop a sleeve of Sweet Lebanon Bologna in our town instead of a ball on NYE.
If someone were visiting your hometown for the first time, what’s the one thing they must do?
We usually take visitors to Hershey Chocolate World
Are there any people in your hometown who shaped who you are today?
Tim Fleener was my 4H leader and judging coach and a Pastor. Learned a lot from that man on the home front as I started my junior career. Jeff Repasky, Eric Bruns, Evan Snyder, Bobby McCrumb, John Fought and so many others improved me in so many ways fitting, showing, breeding and managing stock and teaching youth just as they blessed me with their knowledge.
