Meet your Fair Board

Tammy and Darrin Benton have been Fair board members since 2006. Brooke and Sam, their children, both served on the youth board. Brooke has been an adult member since 2017 and Sam since 2020. Sam is a Agriculture Marketing student at West Texas A&M studying Ag Marketing and enjoys showing livestock. Brooke is a meat inspector with the USDA and enjoys singing. Tammy works in the school nurses office at MCHS. She enjoys being with friends and family and flowers. Darrin, who has been the Fair Board President for 15 years, is an agent with Farm Bureau. He enjoys doing auctions and judging livestock shows.

Darrin says, "I have been involved with fairs in various fashions for more than 30 years. I have a passion to help provide our community with a traditional agriculture fair that our community can attend year in and year out to make memories with their family and friends."

The Muhlenberg County Fair Board would like to introduce you to the Burns family. Landon and Alivia have a sweet baby boy named Bowyn who is almost 2 years old. Landon is a union insulator, employed by Reliance Insulation Company. He has served on the fair board for 5 years and has a passion for dirt track events as well as the indoor roping events. Alivia is the Director of the Muhlenberg County Agriculture Center and has served on the fair board for 14 years. Her passion resides within the promotion and marketing of our fair events.

In their free time, they enjoy being outdoors riding horses, side by sides, and kayaks.

You wont find one without the other! Shawn and Michelle Conkwright have served on the Muhlenberg County Fair Board for 15 years. Shawn owns Reliance Insulation Co. where he does commercial and industrial insulation. Michelle is a Physical Therapist at Hearthstone Place where she’s worked for 24 years. They have been married for 30 years and enjoy everything outdoors! During the fair, they enjoy the roping events, barrel show and mud races.

Their motivation to serve on the fair board stems from “the opportunity to shape generations, by providing a memorable experience to the youth in our community.”

Mike Drake has been on the Muhlenberg County Fair Board for 20+ years. He has dedicated his volunteerism to different parts of the fair throughout the years. His specialty is running the tractor for track events and maintaining the Ag Center during the day. He has too many jobs to list them all but we couldn't survive without him. He is the Muhlenberg County Ag Center Maintenance Director by day and mule man by night. Mike says, "Main thing is... HAVE FUN!"

Crystal Harper resides in Belton with her husband Travis, and son, Trace. Crystal is employed by the Muhlenberg County Board of Education as an Occupational Therapist Assistant. Crystal has served on the board for 3 years. The Harpers are also members of the Farmers Market where they sell their homegrown produce. Crystal enjoys the excitement of the county fair and families making memories to cherish.

Sarah and Joshua Jordan both serve on the Muhlenberg County Fair Board.

Joshua works at Pogue Electric Service as the Bidder/Project Manager. This will be his 5th year serving on the board and he enjoys the track events as well as the indoor horse events. Sarah works as an affiliate with NRSC with Muhlenberg/Butler County Conservation Districts. Sarah attends Murray State University where she is earning her masters degree in Agriculture! She has served on the Fair Board for 8 years and she enjoys the track events as well as the indoor livestock and horse events

The Muhlenberg County Fair Board would like to introduce you to the Mallory Family! Ron and Dee have two children, Noah and Emma who also serve on the fair board.

Ron is the owner/operator of Ron Mallory Plumbing. He has been a fair board volunteer for 17 years! Dee is the Roadside Environment State Administrator for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. She has also been on the fair board for 17 years. In their free time they enjoy raising their horses, farming, and traveling with their children.

Emma is 21 years old and attends Lindsey Wilson College. She is majoring in Psychology and Counseling with plans to work in the school system some day! She has been a volunteer since her freshman year of high school.

Noah is 18 years old and is a freshman at MSU pursuing Ag Business. Noah served on the fair board during his four years of high school and enjoys both livestock and dirt track events!

Ricky and Beverly Peterson have been members of the Muhlenberg County Fair Board for 10 years. They started when their daughter, Bailey, joined the youth fair board.

Ricky is the Pastor at Lone Star General Baptist church here in the county. Ricky also is a welder and in administration at Bid Group. He spends most of his time on the track during the fair. Beverly is a nurse at Community Health Center! She is the Secretary of the board and during the fair you can find her on the track or at the gate!

In their free time they enjoy keeping their granddaughter Lainey and spending time on the family farm!

Alex and Mackenzie have served on the Muhlenberg County Fair Board for 19 years, where they began as youth board members.

Alex and Mackenzie’s son, Hayes, too spends many days at the county fair enjoying the entertainment.

Alex is the General Manager at Pogue Chrysler. He enjoys the track events as well as the indoor roping events. Mackenzie works at the UK Extension Office as the 4-H Youth Development Agent. She enjoys the exhibit hall and seeing community members have fun at the fair.

In their free time, Alex and Mackenzie enjoy spending time with Hayes on the family farm.

Debbie has two adult sons who are proud graduates of Muhlenberg County High School and were members of the Muhlenberg County Junior Fair Board. She works at the Murray State University Breathitt Veterinary Center in Hopkinsville, KY.

Debbie says:

"As the Treasurer of the Fair Board, it is my intention to be a good steward of the funds that we raise. I work to ensure that we produce the very best fair we can for the people of Muhlenberg County and surrounding areas. The Fair and the Board members have become a very important part of my life and I look forward to every meeting. We have shared some ups and downs in the last 10 years but with hard work, innovative ideas and community support the Fair will move forward."

Meet the Sanderson's. This is their 2nd year on the Muhlenberg County Fair Board. Matt is retired military, and enjoys fishing, hunting, and spending time on their farm. Serina is a partially retired Dental Assistant. She enjoys singing, acting, and hanging out with their dogs. They are both very active volunteers at their church. They have 8 children and 4 grandchildren!

Morgann Short has been a member of the Muhlenberg County Fair Board for 19 years. She began as a youth volunteer member. She is employed by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. As she learned during her time at the University of Kentucky, being a part of anything takes hard work and determination. Morgann says, "We put in the work to be able to provide Muhlenberg County with the best fair possible. Hard work is no comparison to the amount of fun and memories that we make along the way."

Morgann is most involved in our partnerships and spends many hours organizing and planning. She also helps to assist with our County Pageant.

In her free time, Morgann enjoys sporting events, concerts, horse races, spending time with family and friends and being outdoors!

Ruthann has served on the Muhlenberg County Fair Board for 4 years. She is faithful member of Mercer Baptist Church and enjoys singing in the Community Choir. When Ruthann is not volunteering in the community, she enjoy quilting in her spare time. The week of the fair you can find Ruthann in the Exhibit Hall supporting our exhibitors and their talents.

Dan and Vi Wood moved to Muhlenberg County in 2013 after Dan retired from the US Army and accepted a defense contractor position at Wendell H Ford Regional Training Center. They got plugged in and involved in our community and have been fair board members for 8 years.

Now, retired twice, Dan works part time at Malone’s Home Center and enjoys playing golf every day he can at Central City Country Club. At the fair, Dan takes care of all of the behind-the-scenes things that help your fair run smoothly. You can find him nightly at the Corn Hole Tournament.

After relocating to Muhlenberg County, Vi accepted a position at the UK Extension service, coordinating the Nutrition Education Program and she quickly became involved with the fair. She enjoys the Exhibit Hall, showcasing the many talents of community members and celebrating their accomplishments.

They are active members of Second Baptist Church. In their spare time Dan and Vi love traveling and exploring new places, junkin’ and finding treasures, playing board games and cards, and spending time with their friends and family

Addyson Fleming is a Sophomore at Muhlenberg County High School. She is active member of 4-H and FFA. In her free time she enjoys hunting and spending time with friends and family. Addyson is looking forward to working on the 2024 Fair Board.

Jesse Spurlin is a 16-year-old sophomore and is looking forward to serving his first year on the youth fair board. The week of the fair you will find Jesse at the horse show and truck and tractor pulls. His favorite event is the horse show where he has been an active participant. In his free time Jesse enjoys riding horses, hunting, and spending time with his friends.

Lillian is a junior at Muhlenberg County High School. She is the chapter FFA reporter, and also apart of the Kentucky Junior Cattlemen’s Association. This is her first year on the Youth Fair Board.

“I operate my freezer beef business, Cattle On A Thousand Hills and love helping with anything to do with the agriculture industry. I am very excited to help with the prep-work, and advocate for the fair this year! You will probably see me in the informational booth, as I love to meet and talk to others! My favorite place to be is with my family and friends, around some cows, and eating a good steak!!”

Regin Stovall is a senior at Muhlenberg County High School. This is her fourth year on the youth fair board. Regin is an active 4-Her and has a passion for theatre. The week of the fair you can catch Regin in the information booth, helping at the pageant, or working in the exhibit hall.

Trace Harper has volunteered for the fair board during for 2 years. Trace is a sophomore at MCHS. During the fair you can find Trace on the track or inside the ag center. In his spare time, he enjoys hunting, fishing and spending time outdoors.