Janice and Kent Ray of Fairfax were chosen as this year’s Fairfax Fair Parade Grand Marshals. The couple has done so much for this community.

The Fairfax Optimist Club selected Kent and Janice Ray as the 2026 Fairfax Fair Parade Grand Marshals. As owners of the Dairy Diner the past 30 years, their presence, service, and leadership has helped to keep the Fairfax community strong.

Forty-five years ago, on the Saturday of the Fairfax Fair on August 22, 1981, Kent and Janice Ray were married in Shenandoah, Iowa. Janice, who grew up in Farragut, Iowa, had no idea just how much the Fairfax Fair meant to the community or how much it would come to mean to her. What she thought was simply a busy weekend soon became the centerpiece of a lifetime of family traditions, friendships, and service to the community.

This year their story came full circle. As the 2026 Fairfax Fair Parade Marshals, Kent and Janice celebrated both their 45th wedding anniversary and a lifetime of dedication to Fairfax by leading the parade down Main Street, the very street where they spent 30 years building Rays’ Dairy Diner into one of the community’s most cherished gathering places. As they made their way through the heart of town, they weren’t simply leading a parade; they were traveling a road filled with decades of memories.

Kent, a Fairfax High School graduate, has lifelong roots in town. Those roots continued with daughters Jessica and Jennifer, who also graduated from Fairfax High School and spent their childhoods growing up at the fair. Like so many Fairfax families, the Rays didn’t simply attend the fair, they worked it. As their family became involved in various organizations, Kent and Janice could be found volunteering and donating wherever needed and quietly doing their part to ensure the tradition continued for future generations.

Today, those traditions continue through their growing family. Jessica and her husband, Lance Murry, are the parents of Ava. Jennifer and her husband, Brandon Peregrine, are the parents of Bo, Jax, Jorja, and Bennett. Watching their children and now grandchildren experience the same fair traditions they cherished has been one of life’s greatest blessings.

For 30 years, Kent and Janice were known as the faces behind one of Fairfax’s most beloved landmarks. Rays’ Dairy Diner was far more than a place to grab lunch or enjoy an ice cream cone. It was where families celebrated milestones, neighbors visited over ice cream, fairgoers stopped to cool off and reminisce during a busy weekend, and visitors got their first taste of the town’s welcoming spirit. Through changing times, it remained a constant presence in the community. Generations of families returned year after year, introducing children and grandchildren to the same favorite burgers, ice cream treats, and familiar faces. The Rays knew customers by name, remembered regular orders before they reached the counter, and greeted everyone that walked through the door with the kind of genuine hospitality that has always made Fairfax feel like home.

The Fairfax Fair has always remained one of the Ray family’s favorite Fairfax traditions to support. Each year, they could be found making the rounds to support the organizations that make the fair possible. Enjoying homemade pie at the Masons’ stand, stopping for the Flag Corps’ famous fried Oreos, buying raffle tickets, visiting countless stands, and cheering on local organizations that work tirelessly to make the fair successful. Ironically, the one time the Ray family actually won a fair raffle wasn’t because they bought tickets themselves. A fellow Fairfax resident purchased raffle tickets on a goat and put Jessica and Jennifer’s names on them as a joke. Jennifer ended up winning, creating an unforgettable family story that still brings smiles today. The fair has also brought a special memory through Jessica, who was crowned Miss Fairfax 1997. Kent and Janice have long been proud supporters of the Miss Fairfax pageant and the baby show, two of the fair’s most cherished traditions. They were honored to help sponsor both events because they celebrate the families, children, and community spirit that make Fairfax such a special place.

For Kent and Janice, being asked to serve as the 2026 Fairfax Fair Parade Marshals was one of the greatest honors they could receive. Sharing their wedding anniversary with the Fairfax Fair has always made the weekend special, and this year’s recognition made it even more memorable. It was a heartfelt reminder of the friendships, traditions, and community that have been such an important part of their lives.