Grand Marshals Marlene and Cecil Demott rode in the Atchison County Fair Parade Saturday, July 20.

The Atchison County Fair Board selected Marlene and Cecil Demott as the Grand Marshals for this year’s fair parade. Long-time participants and supporters of the fair, the Demotts have made significant contributions over the years.

Cecil dedicated 18 years to the fair board, including several as president, and has a strong background in FFA. The couple was honored as the Missouri State Fair Family in 1997. Cecil served on the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council for 12 years. He also served on the North Central Soybean Research Program for seven years.

Marlene has been a key figure in 4-H, leading projects in swine, beef, horsemanship, poultry, and dog care. She won pole bending at the Missouri State Fair while in horsemanship in 4-H and was the first female FFA officer at Rock Port. She is also known for her delicious cinnamon rolls donated to the fair auction.

The Demotts have four daughters, Kenna, Afton, Kaci, and Ally, and six grandchildren. Their daughters showed at numerous fairs and the Missouri State Fair for years. Kenna is an elementary school librarian in Savannah, Missouri. Afton, an administrative assistant at Atchison-Holt Electric Cooperative, serves on the fair board and her family is the 2024 Atchison County, Missouri, State Fair Farm Family. Kaci, a credit manager, works for Agri-Financial Services, and Ally is a program assistant at Kansas State University.

[Click on the Special Sections heading and then the first flipbook at the top to view pictures and highlights from the fair.]