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Mallory’s last year on fair board
Published 11:04 a.m., July 16, 2009
A longtime 4-H supporter is spending his last year as one of the organizers of the West Otter Tail County Fair.
Gregg Mallory has been part of the fair board of directors for the past six years and a 4-H enthusiast for twice as long. After moving to the Vining area 13 years ago, Gregg and his wife, Dawn, were looking for an activity every family member could take part in. They found it in 4-H, Mallory said.
With seven children in their early teens through late 20s, the Mallorys have seen their share of 4-H activities. Their children have raised animals including hogs, sheep and rabbits, and now their grandchildren are participating in 4-H, too.
Gregg Mallory has long had a hand in the 4-H Shake Shed, which began as a small stand several years ago. The fair board agreed to provide 4-H with a building in 2006, and shake sales have continued to grow.
“We’re up to about 400 gallons (of ice cream) a summer so we’ve come a long way since we first started,” Mallory said.
This is Mallory’s last year as a fair board member, as his family will be moving to Nebraska to assist a relative on his ranch. Mallory has already spent time out of state, returning to Vining Tuesday night so he could be at the fair Wednesday. The Mallorys are no strangers to adventure: Gregg and Dawn were moving from Washington state to Michigan when they stopped in Montana and saw a real estate listing for the Vining property where they now live.
Still, Gregg Mallory says the family will miss lakes country and the friends who’ve reached out to them over the years. Then there’s the fair.
“I really enjoy this job,” Mallory said Wednesday between stops at the hog barn and the Shake Shed. “This is still a business. You have to make it work.”
The fair evolves every year, Mallory said, and board members try to be responsive to the needs of 4-Hers, moto-cross organizers, vendors and others.
“It’s something new every year,” he said. “You just have to roll with the punches and go from there.”
The Mallorys will transition to Nebraska in the next year, allowing one of their children to finish high school locally. Gregg will be traveling back to Nebraska Saturday, and even after the entire family has moved, they won’t be gone for good.
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