OXFORD – Exhibiting at the Chenango County Fair and Agricultural Exposition is a tradition for many local farm families, including the Marshmans.
According to Bob Marshman, his family has been working the land and milking cows on their South Oxford farm since 1856. The earliest evidence he has of their participation in the county fair is a 1920 photograph, picturing his father and his aunt leading a (presumably prize-winning) calf.
“We’ve done pretty well over the years,” he said, speaking of the number of blue ribbons secured by his family over the last 90 years.
Marshman has done well for himself at the Chenango County Fair in another respect as well. It was while showing calves in 4-H competition as a teenager that he first met his wife Linda. The couple recently celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary.
Marshman is quick to brush off any idea that this makes he and his wife unique.
“A lot of farm couples our age met in 4-H,” he explained, adding that his own parents met through the youth agriculture organization as well.
Few, however, have received the honor of being named Mr. and Mrs. Chenango County Fair, the title bestowed up the Marshman’s this year by the Chenango County Agricultural Society.
Both Bob and Linda say they are indeed honored by the Fair Board’s decision to select them for the role, described by the organization’s president, Mary Weidman, as the fair’s “good will ambassadors.”
The Marshmans’ first and only official duty as Mr. and Mrs. Chenango County Fair is participating in tonight’s 4-H and Firemen’s Parade - during which the “royal” couple will be transported in style, in a shiny red convertible driven by Weidman.
Despite their lack of official responsibilities, the Marshmans plan to be an almost constant presence at the fairgrounds throughout the week. Which, according to them, is par for the course, title or no.
Since Linda joined the fair board 12 years ago, they’ve kept busy lending a hand wherever needed during the annual event, whether it’s helping out with the harness racing events, registering exhibitors or taking tickets at the grandstand.
And if you can’t find them elsewhere, try the 4-H dairy show ring.
“We just park a chair,” she said, explaining that all six of their grandchildren will be showing calves this year. Even Lily, who is not yet 3, will be participating. The family places a lot of value in 4-H, describing it as a good learning experience which teaches responsibility.
According to both Linda and Bob, the Chenango County Fair has always been a large part of their lives, both before they met and throughout their marriage.
“It’s sort of a family thing,” Linda said, explaining that while other families take vacations to the beach or amusement parks, their annual family excursion has always been to the fair.
And they haven’t missed many. When the couple married in 1964, they carefully planned their wedding for Aug. 1 - which Linda said was after the first cutting, and before Fair Week. Nor did they miss the annual event the year their son John was born - on Aug. 14.
In addition to the farm and the fair, Bob and Linda are avid shuffle board players. Both compete on the professional level during the six months of the year they spend in Florida.
This year, they couple had the chance to go to Germany to compete in the International Shuffle Board competition, but say they passed it up because the dates conflicted with that of the Chenango County Fair.
“Fair week was more important,” Bob said with a shrug.
It is this level of commitment to the fair, and the other agricultural organizations in which they have been active throughout the years, which no doubt swayed the Fair Board’s decision to select Bob and Linda Marshman as this year’s Mr. and Mrs. Chenango County Fair.