Old friend helps out family with a big purchase at the Fairfield County Fair

LANCASTER − The purchase of the Grand Champion Hog at the Fairfield County Fair meant a little bit extra this year to the parties involved as a longtime connection between two families was put on display.

The Fairfield County Fair was a success yet again in 2023, providing a fun time for family and friends in the community to come together. For two specific families, the fair also provided a heartwarming moment between different generations of old family friends.

Cooper and Cam Lee are twin brothers who competed in Junior Fair activities at the Fairfield County Fair. Both brothers performed well at the Junior Fair, with Cooper's pig Scoob winning Grand Champion Hog and Cam's steer Ja'Marr Chase, named after the Cincinnati Bengals' star wide receiver, coming in third place.

Cooper and Cam described what it meant to them to see all their hard work pay off.

"It was very special because we put a lot of hard work into it," said Cooper. "We go all around the world and try to do the best that we can."

"You have to put in a lot of time with your steer," said Cam. "It takes a lot of patience to get your steer set up and in the show ring."

According to Nick Lee, father of Cooper and Cam, putting forward such an impressive performance at fair week was a group effort.

"This doesn't take just a kid, a mom, a dad, it's a family effort," said Nick.

Once Cooper and Cam's livestock placed in the Junior Fair, they were put up for auction. That is where a friend to the Lee family Josh Brunney came in, purchasing both Scoob and Ja'Marr Chase.

Brunney, the owner of Josh's Ground Effects, purchased the livestock for a total of $13,000, with Scoob selling for $10,500. He said that he did this in large part because of the influence that Nick had on him growing up in 4-H.

"It was about 17 years that I grew up right across the street from the Lees," said Brunney. "I had goats, pigs, rabbits and showed them with 4-H. (Nick Lee) was always there. If you needed help, what kind of feed to buy, what we needed, how to train them, Nick and his brother Jordan, who is also active in 4-H with his kids, they were always there to help out. Whether it was 4-H or not, I could ride over there and they were always a giving hand."

According to Brunney, it was an emotional moment for everyone involved once it was revealed that he was the buyer.

"They just couldn't believe it," said Brunney. "Being a good family friend, and the price it went for, they were very emotional and thankful that the community had done that."

Brunney said that this moment was especially meaningful to him because it was a chance to give back to the community.

"You're not just donating to a normal sponsor, you're giving back to the community, giving back to the kids," said Brunney. "It meant a lot to me, my company, the guys are very thankful that we can give back to the community."

Nick said that much of the inspiration behind Brunney's act of giving was out of respect for his father, Randy Lee, who had passed away in 2022.

"Last year, October 27, we lost my dad kind of unexpectedly," said Nick. "That was a big deal to Josh, kind of a driving force behind it. He said my dad really marched him down the right path to be successful, not that his parents didn't, but he was just very inspirational in Josh's life."

This was the first fair week without Randy, which Nick said made the event bittersweet.

"This year's fair was kind of tough, there was a memorial bench sitting there that had my dad's name on it," said Nick. "That was just kind of one of those things that was in the back of Josh's mind he said."

Despite the melancholy that came with the first fair without his father, Nick said that it was a great moment to see.

"It was kind of like life in full circle," said Nick. "He has become a great young man and to have him purchase the livestock was kind of like a full circle."

This generous act of giving from Brunney will help the Lee kids out tremendously, setting them up well for the future. Nick explained how the money from livestock sales is split three ways between Cooper, Cam, and daughter Demi Lee, to go towards their college funds.

"We set up three accounts for the kids," said Nick. "All the animals that they sell get split into three ways for their college fund. Mom and dad buy all the stuff, buy all the feed, supply all the equipment, then all that money is going to the kids' college funds."

With this huge donation from a family friend, Cooper, Cam, and Demi have come into a large amount of money towards their futures.

Aaron Burd is a breaking news and government reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him via email at AMBurd@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on Twitter @AaronMBurd.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Family friend does good deed at Fairfield County Fair