Crossleys named grand marshals for this year's county fair

Dr. Dan Crossley and his wife, Karen, are the grand marshals at this year's county fair and rodeo. They are pictured with fair board chairman Larry "Slick" Jewett, right.

Dr. Dan Crossley, M.D., and his wife, Karen, of Mountain Home, have been named grand marshals for the 2013 Elmore County Fair and Rodeo (ECFR).

In a surprise visit to their home in April, members of the Elmore County Fair and Rodeo Board informed the Crossleys of the their selection.

The Crossleys, who have been part of the 4-H program since childhood, remain involved with their own children, Raven, 16, Talon, 14, and Phoenix, 12, and are known for their strong community ideals and support of youth.

Each year, citizens and ECFR board members submit likely candidates for that year's Grand Marshal, explained Rena Kerfoot, executive director of the ECFR. The Crossleys were selected because of their strong support of the local 4-H program and annual livestock sales held on the last day of the fair.

"We kind of give back to those who have been a constant supporter of the Elmore County Fair," Kerfoot said of the board's selection for Grand Marshal. She noted that the board's decision is not based on financial but rather volunteer support for local youths and the 4-H program.

Dr. Crossley is a partner in the Trinity Mountain Family Practice in Mountain Home and also works as an emergency room physician at St. Luke's Elmore. In his youth, he showed sheep for two years and market steers for six years. He also participated in judging competitions, earning him a third place in Idaho and fifth in the Pacific Northwest.

He also showed steers at the Pacific Northwest Livestock Show in Portland, which taught him valuable lessons from professionals.

Dr. Crossley attended the University of Idaho where he was on the ROTC rifle team, He attended medical school at the University of Washington and did his residency in Souix Falls, South Dakota.

Dr. and Mrs. Crossley were married in 1990 and moved to Mountain Home in 2003.

As a youth, she participated in 4-H showing horses. She represented the Gem County Fair and Rodeo as its queen during her senior year of high school.

The Crossley's work ethic and continued desire to learn are two of the values that led the ECFR board to select the couple as the grand marshals for the 2013 Elmore County Fair and Rodeo.

As representatives for the ECFR, they will participate in the opening ceremonies at the Friday and Saturday evening rodeos and, when possible, represent ECFR at other events around southern Idaho, Kerfoot said.