As we hurdle toward warmer weather, summertime thoughts linger in our minds. The school days are dwindling, and unpredictable spring weather occasionally teases us with heat and sun. 

During midsummer in Ohio, county fairs occupy the devotion and time of hard-working children and adults across the state. Stories are proudly shared of the ribbons, feats and accomplishments that happen during the short and magical time counties spend together at their beloved week-long expositions. 

The 2026 Logan County Fair will be here in just a short time, taking place from July 12-18. 

At last year’s 175th annual Logan County Fair, one such story of an impressive feat took shape at the grandstand during the livestock scramble, when the “Mighty” Lydia Davie took a chance at the competition. 

Lydia, who is the youngest in her family, has four, rather tall and strong, older brothers.  

When Miss Lydia was the only girl to wrangle and halter a calf at the 2025 Logan County Fair, she blamed it all on having those brothers. 

Getting involved in the livestock scramble wasn’t her idea.  It was her siblings who knew she was up to the challenge. 

“I actually was not going to do it until two days before, but then my brothers and their friends were all telling me I should do it, and I was like, okay, this could be fun,” Lydia shared.

 “Our sister is a small, stocky, wrestling, red-head with a low center of gravity, kind of like Danny DeVito. You can’t knock her over,” her brothers joked together. “She’s one tough American girl.” 

Within a few minutes in the makeshift ring in front of a packed grandstand, Lydia had the calf handled. She came in second for that division, but she remained the only girl to properly halter a fighting and kicking calf in the competition.  

Her plan was “to be confident going into the calf scramble because I know I am strong, but I have never worked with cows before, and so I didn’t know what to expect. 

“It felt incredible to be the only girl to catch a calf in the scramble. My strategy was to jump on the calf and not let go, no matter what. 

“My brothers told me to just hang on until the cow calms down, and then I would have a much easier time getting the halter on. That turned out to be what worked for me.”

Lydia has sometimes wished to have a sister, but admitted,  “I kind of like being the only girl. It’s fun to have brothers.”  

“You’ve gotta learn to have pretty, thick skin. You have to be tough to live with them, but they’re fun.”

Her mother Beth Davie shared, “After having four boys, she was a bit of a shock to our system in the way she nurtured everything. I remember her putting diapers on the boys’ dinosaurs and rocking and shushing them. 

“She ran, wrestled, did ninja warrior and obstacle courses, played ball, caught snakes and frogs, wore a backwards baseball hat, and could hang with the best of them.”

Beth said each of her boys have built their own unique relationship with Lydia, but consistently over the years, they have all encouraged her to not be like most girls they meet and to keep her openness and directness. 

No matter what, Lydia will continue to be loved, protected and teased mercilessly by her older brothers. 

“Lydia is hands-down my favorite sister!” Abel said, laughing. 

“If she doesn’t stay in the kitchen and become a better cook, she will become an old maid,” Titus joked from a distance. 

“We are all so good at wrangling cows because we’ve been wrangling Lydia all these years,” Phillip boasted.

And Ezra warned that she’s “built like a linebacker with a ponytail.”

Since her brothers brag about her brute strength, hopefully Lydia will come in first place in the calf scramble this year.  Look out, boys!