Eastern Idaho State Fair Names Mike and Judy Kirkham as 2026 Grand Marshals

After spending more than 100 years between them helping the Eastern Idaho State Fair run smoothly, Mike and Judy Kirkham will step into the spotlight as the Fair’s 2026 Grand Marshals.

The Grand Marshal honor is awarded annually to an individual or couple whose longstanding dedication, service, and contributions have strengthened both the Eastern Idaho State Fair and the eastern Idaho community.  As honorary ambassadors, the Kirkhams will be recognized during the Eastern Idaho State Fair Annual Parade on Saturday, September 5, along historic Shilling Street, as well as at other ceremonial events throughout the fair.

For a couple who have never missed a single year of the fair, the recognition feels both meaningful and a bit surreal.

“It’s humbling, but it’s a little scary—the thought of being in the car waving at people,” Judy said.

Mike, the fair’s longtime Gate and Parking Superintendent, admitted he didn’t believe the news at first.  “I thought it was a prank phone call,” he said.  “I can’t be in the parade.  I have to worry about the gates.”

Judy’s connection to the fair stretches back to childhood.  Her grandfather, Addie Trussell, ran the grandstand for decades and once served as a Grand Marshal himself.  Judy spent her summers at the fairgrounds watching variety-style grandstand shows long before today’s touring acts.  By her teens, she was deeply involved in 4‑H, entering as many as 10 projects in a single year and winning a cherry pie contest after a summer of practice baking.

Her 50-year tenure in the antiques department began almost by accident, when she was asked to help judge bottles for a small exhibit.  A lifelong collector—many of her bottles dug from old dumps—she soon took over the porcelain division.  Over the decades, she has seen nearly everything come through the doors, from a hand‑stitched Civil War‑era dress to a striking blue antique jardinière she still remembers fondly.

Mike’s nearly 40-year run at the fair also began unexpectedly, when he stepped into a role vacated by a friend who moved away.  He later took over the Grandstand, then Parking, then the Outside Gates. “It’s Judy’s fault I got so involved,” he joked.  “I told her if she was going to be down there with the antiques for so long, I might as well do something so we could be together.”

Each summer, Mike interviews enough people to staff roughly 100 seasonal positions, often from the front seat of his pickup, which doubles as his office.  He drives candidates around the grounds and asks one simple question: “Why in the world would you want to work at the fair?” Over the years, he’s learned the answer for himself.  “You don’t do it for the money.  You do it for the love of the fair.”

The Kirkhams have watched the fair evolve over the decades, even as some traditions have shifted.  “The 4‑H program isn’t as big as it used to be,” Judy said.  “And the antique categories have been downsized, but I understand things have to move with the times.” One tradition, however, remains constant: the Pronto Pup.  Judy’s grandfather used to buy her one to keep her quiet as a child, and she still gets one every year.  Mike, true to form, is usually too busy running gates to eat at all.

Their story together began long before their fair careers.  The two grew up on opposite sides of a local rivalry—Mike at Blackfoot High School, Judy at Firth—and knew each other mostly by reputation.  They eventually met through Judy’s uncle, a butcher at Food King in Idaho Falls, while Mike was selling Procter & Gamble products there.  A mutual friend tried repeatedly to set them up, but Mike resisted, assuming Judy—first Miss Blackfoot and later a Miss Idaho contestant—was “just a beauty queen.” It took a candy salesman named Gandy to finally drag him back in to meet her.  Sixty‑three years later, they have five children, 15 grandchildren, and nine great‑grandchildren.

“Mike and Judy represent the very best of what the Eastern Idaho State Fair stands for,” said General Manager Brandon Bird.  “Their lifetime of service, heart, and humility have shaped this fair in ways most people will never see, but everyone benefits from.  Honoring them as Grand Marshals is one of the easiest decisions we’ve ever made.”

After a lifetime spent helping the Eastern Idaho State Fair run smoothly, the 2026 Grand Marshals will finally have a chance to enjoy a well‑deserved moment in the spotlight.