The Greene County Fair brings nostalgia and excitement to a summer of fun for so many. As one of Greene County’s largest events, hours of preparation and dedication from many individuals help lead it to success year after year. For over 40 years, Larry Marshall served his community as Fair Manager and a member of the Fair Board. He passed away after a battle with cancer on October 14, 2022 at the age of 75. His legacy leaves a lasting impact on his family, the community, and the Greene County Fair.
Dedication and service is not uncommon when talking about Larry Marshall. He served as a volunteer member of the Waynesburg-Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Department in multiple positions including Fire Chief, served on the Waynesburg Borough Council, and as Main Street Manager for Waynesburg Prosperous & Beautiful. After retirement from teaching Honors Physics at Trinity High School, he became the Athletic Director of Waynesburg University before moving into the position of Special Assistant to the President for Community Affairs. So it isn’t much of a surprise that he served the Greene County Fair with a passion that you don’t often see for over 40 years.
Born on November 30, 1946 and raised in Waynesburg by parents Amity “Red” and Marie Marshall, Larry was acquainted early in life with the Greene County Fair. Red was the local Coca-Cola salesman in Greene County. Prior to cell phones, communication was a struggle for the fair vendors to let him know when they needed more product. To solve the problem, Red and Marie opened a stand at the fairgrounds in the mid-1960s selling Coca-Cola, chips, and candy bars. Larry and his brother, Ed, spent many nights gathering up empty bottles to return to the bottling company.
Even after Red’s retirement from Coca-Cola, the family maintained their presence at the fair and increased what they sold to include homemade food – chili dogs and cream chicken sandwiches were their specialties. Siblings, spouses, and children contributed to the stand each year as it brought about a reunion of friends and family while each developed a love of the fair.
It was during this time that the president of the Fair Board, Riley White, asked Larry if he was interested in serving as Fair Manager. As he was a high school teacher and assistant basketball coach at Waynesburg University, he could take on another summer project. With this decision, his involvement with the fair expanded to leading it over the next four decades.
The Greene County Fair evolved with Larry helping to oversee improvements alongside the Fair Board and the County of Greene. From creating the first-ever emergency plan for the fair to building the current grandstands that would seat 1,800 people. Livestock exhibitors were permitted to stay in RVs on the fairgrounds to be close to their animals. Additional buildings were built including the Infield Building, the Fair Office, and the Rabbit and Goat Barns.
Larry attended the yearly Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs convention in January to keep up with the industry and recruit new options for our community. The fair was able to host country music artists such as Confederate Railroad, John Berry, and Tracy Lawrence. Popular in the 1990s, the Hollywood Stunt Show was a crowd favorite that kept everyone on the edge of their seats. The Greene County Mega Pull event was added to bring another option for truck and tractor pull enthusiasts. These options became available to Greene County thanks to Larry’s diligence in fiscal management and industry knowledge.
The Greene County Fair continued to grow with people coming from as far as California. Larry and the Fair Board helped to make the fair more affordable by implementing a pay-one-price structure instead of charging separately for admission, parking, rides, and grandstand. This also allowed the fair to keep a carnival returning each year and opened up better entertainment options.
One of the challenges Larry faced every year was securing employees. When you are asking for someone to work outside for seven long days through heat and at least one downpour, it is not the easiest task. He gained a significant boost from kids that he coached to the children of firemen. The fair grows on the kids (much like it did on Larry) and they return year after year. Today, workers now include kids of those earlier workers set out to discover the fun and joy in a job well done.
Larry’s family were not exceptions. All five children – Jeff, Eric, JoAnne, Jenny, and Julie – have worked the fair, often taking time off to assist him. But it didn’t always start at the fair. Some of the earlier jobs were distributing flyers to Greene County businesses to marking the halls for vendors with chalk. The payment was usually ice cream – an acceptable form of payment as a kid. This year, Eric continues in his dad’s footsteps as Fair Manager.
The Greene County Fair is not a week-long event for those involved. It is a year-long project filled with meetings, contracts, correspondence, and phone calls. Larry’s leadership skills, the ability to problem solve quickly (like when the goat tent flooded), the willingness to jump in – no matter the task, his patience in dealing with the problems that come with such a role, and the support of his family helped him serve his hometown as Fair Manager for 42 years.
As in every role Larry Marshall has taken on, he simply did what was needed to be done.