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Fair Board May Update
Author: Rachael Brug, Staff Reporter

Fair Board May Update

Rachael Brug

Staff Reporter

The Broadwater County Fair Board met on the evening of May 14, calling the meeting to order at 5:15 p.m. with four of five members present and a quorum confirmed. The board approved minutes from its April 9 meeting before moving into reports.

Open Class Supervisor and Board Chair Tayla Clark reported that the open class committee has received permission to use text.gov to remind participants to register and enter items in the fair, consistent with outreach efforts from prior years. The committee's next meeting is scheduled for June 10. Clark also noted that half-page flyers promoting this year's day-of contest — themed around the 250th anniversary — will be distributed to local businesses alongside fair posters. The fair book also received a thorough overhaul this year, with Fair Manager Jessica Erickson credited for pulling the revisions together. Duplicate entries were removed and language was clarified throughout, with board members expressing enthusiasm about the updated result.

On the vendor front, Vendor Supervisor Val Hornsveld was absent but had emailed vendor letters the previous week. Several vendors had already been in contact ahead of the mailing, eager to secure their spots. The board expects contracts and payments to begin coming in shortly.

Rodeo Board Liaison Denise Thompson provided the most extensive update of the evening. The rodeo has hired a new groundskeeper who came on board in late April or early May, marking a significant transition after longtime staff tenure. Pipe replacement work is ongoing, with the board tackling a portion each year, given the expense involved. The rough stock chute area is being readied for a rough stock school planned for late May, around the same time as Ag Day.

Thompson also announced that seven electrical power stations have been installed along the fence line at the south end of the big pasture. The project was a collaboration with the Lineman Rodeo, which will use the stations for its vendors, with costs split between the two organizations. The stations are lockable and will be owned by the rodeo club, with rental availability to others as interest allows. Thompson called it a long-sought improvement that came together well.