The honor comes during a special year, as Fountain Green’s annual Lamb Days celebration coincides with the nation’s observance of America’s 250th anniversary.

For Gilgen, the recognition is both humbling and deeply meaningful.

She and her late husband, Larry Gilgen, raised their six children in a home just across from the city park, where Lamb Days festivities have been a centerpiece of family life for decades. Over the years, the celebration has provided the backdrop for family reunions, community gatherings and countless memories with their growing family, which now includes 20 grandchildren and 36 great-grandchildren.

“Everything Larry and I have done throughout our lives has been with our family in mind,” Gilgen said. “We worked together, played together, and ate our family meals together every evening. It’s all about family.”

Known affectionately by her great-grandchildren as “Grandma Grapes,” Gilgen says family has always been at the center of everything she and Larry did.

That same commitment extended to the Fountain Green community.

Over the years, the Gilgens became fixtures at Lamb Days, volunteering wherever they were needed. They helped cut lamb, sold tickets, worked concession stands, supported the youth lamb show, and assisted their sons in shearing and preparing show lambs. They also spent many hours decorating parade floats when their daughters served as Lamb Days royalty.

One memory that still stands out occurred years ago when a piano had been moved from the church to the city park for a performance. When a sudden rainstorm threatened to damage the instrument, the Gilgen family rushed to the rescue.

“Every towel we owned ended up soaking wet at the park,” Gilgen recalled.

Her ties to Sanpete County stretch back generations. Born in Manti, Gilgen proudly considers herself a “Sanpeter,” following generations of pioneer ancestors. Her mother attended elementary school in Fountain Green, and many members of her family are buried in the Fountain Green Cemetery. Today, she continues to honor that heritage as an active member of the Fountain Green Uinta Springs Camp of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers.

After marrying Larry, the couple spent 15 years in Salt Lake City before returning to Sanpete County. They moved to Fountain Green with four young children and later welcomed two more sons into the family. Larry passed away in 2018, but his legacy of service remains closely tied to Mary’s own.

Interestingly, the home where Mary now lives has long been part of her family’s history. She first entered the house as a 17-year-old participant in the Lamb Day Beauty Pageant, using it as a place to change clothes before appearing in the event. She remembers contestants lining up on a flatbed trailer near the city park and recalls when the southeast corner of the park was simply a dirt lot used for boxing matches.

Throughout her years in Fountain Green, Gilgen has embraced opportunities to serve in nearly every aspect of community life.

Shortly before moving from Salt Lake City, she completed a Red Cross home nursing course with plans to teach others. After arriving in Fountain Green, she organized a nursing class that eventually led to caring for a partially paralyzed homebound woman.

Her volunteer service through The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has included serving as Relief Society president, Gospel Doctrine teacher, Sunday School and Primary teacher, Achievement Day leader, Cub Scout leader, funeral luncheon coordinator and member of numerous ward committees.

Beyond church service, Gilgen and her husband coordinated the Lions Club Santa Sack program for many years, supported Little League fundraisers, served as Youth City Council leaders, and became deeply involved in local civic affairs.

Gilgen made history as only the second woman ever elected to the Fountain Green City Council, serving five terms over a span of 20 years. Earlier in life, she also served as PTA president, represented the region on the Utah State PTA, and worked as an election judge.

One of her longest commitments came through the Fountain Green Irrigation Company. Beginning in 1991, she scheduled irrigation water for local shareholders before becoming the company’s secretary-treasurer in 1995, a position she faithfully held for the next 25 years.

Despite her long list of accomplishments, Gilgen believes the strength of any small town comes from the willingness of its residents to help one another.

“Small towns need volunteers,” she said. “Small towns run on volunteers.”

As Fountain Green prepares for another Lamb Days celebration, community members will have the opportunity to recognize one of those volunteers whose decades of service have helped shape the town’s character.

For Gilgen, being selected as the 2026 Lamb Days Parade Grand Marshal is an honor she will always cherish.

She hopes this year’s celebration–held in conjunction with America’s 250th anniversary–will be one of the community’s best ever, bringing families together to celebrate both their shared heritage and the volunteers who continue to make Fountain Green a special place to call home.