Fair board, Lions discuss derby

The Sanders County Fair Board held a special meeting Sunday morning in an effort to clear up payment disputes concerning the demolition derby.

Fair Board Chairman Randy Woods of Hot Springs called the meeting because he wanted to get people involved with the derby paid as soon as possible. The demolition derby, held on the last evening of the fair, is the fair’s biggest draw. It utilizes the Plains Lions Club and volunteers to help pull off the event. This year the fair sold 3,100 tickets and fetched $75,000, an increase from 2018, according to Melissa Cady, the fair manager. The fair did give the Lions Club $10,000, all of which goes to the cash prizes for the derby winners.

The main pay contention involves the Plains Lions Club and Brice Bomgardner of Havre, who worked in the arena during the derby. Bomgardner said he’s owed $1,800, which the fair board believes should come out of the Lions cut of $5,200. Woods said that section five of the Lions and fair contract states that the club “pays all expenses incurred by the contractor related to the production of the event.” However, Lions Director Duane Highcrane and Lions Club member Ron Robinson said at the meeting at the fair pavilion Sunday morning that Bomgardner told them and other members that he would work for free this year, but wanted to get paid next year.

This is the first year that Bomgardner worked the Sanders County derby. In the past, Arlee resident Paige Carney has helped in the arena. Neither the fair nor the Lions had a contract with Carney, but the club paid him in appreciation of his services. “And there were a couple times he didn’t want it because he loves what he’s doing,” said Steve Spurr, who took over as Lions Club president in July. After some communication problems between the fair, the club and Carney, he decided not to do it this year and recommended Bomgardner.

Sunday’s special board meeting included Woods and Cady, along with fair board member Jim Newman and Milanna Shear on a speaker phone. Lions members included Highcrane, Robinson and Kevin Kerr, the club vice president. Cady said the meeting was posted as required. Woods said he scheduled it on Sunday because it was the only time he could get everyone together in a timely fashion. The Plains Lions Club is in the final year of their five-year contract with the fair. Spurr said they were supposed to get their $5,200 check on derby night, but a week later had not been paid. He said the board had delayed giving them their money because of the dispute between the club and Bomgardner and because the two tow truck companies, Valley Towing of Plains and Iron Horse Towing and Repair of Missoula, had not been paid by the Lions. Spurr said the towing companies had not been paid because the board hadn’t paid the Lions, but he said they will both be paid their $100 each right away.

The hour-long meeting ended without settling the Bomgardner issue. “The $1,800 he wants wasn’t agreed on by the Lions. If he had an agreement with the county or the fair board, they can deal with him,” said Highcrane, a past Lions president. He noted that the $1,800 is almost half of what the Lions made at the event and if the Lions paid Bomgardner, they couldn’t afford to pay for a lifeguard at the wading pool in Plains next year. The demo derby is the club’s biggest fundraiser, which all goes back into the community, said Highcrane.

“We’re not paying him. There was no monitory amount discussed prior to the services. He told us he was doing it for free and then afterwards he told the fair manager that he was owed money, which was originally $1,800 and then it went to $2,000,” said Spurr.

Later in the day, Woods said that if the Lions refuse to pay Bomgardner, the fair board would pay him. “One way or another he’ll get paid. The fair is not going to stiff anyone,” said Woods, who joined the fair board last year.

The club plans to negotiate a new contract with the fair over the next several months. Woods said he definitely wants to have the club involved in the derby in some form. In the last contract, the Lions’ duties included taking tickets, vehicle registration, and clean up of the arena after the derby. The Lions used to man the arena during the derby, but that halted after Lions member Ron Warren was injured two years ago.

While the demolition derby crowds have remained high, the driver participation has dwindled. There were only 13 cars in this year’s derby. Woods said he’s determined to make the derby a major fair event. Organizers this year added lawn mower races and crowd participating events between heats, which Woods said were big hits.

“We’re looking at others ways to entertain the crowds between heats to keep the crowds engaged,” said Woods, who plans to travel to derbies in Montana, Utah, Washington and Nevada for ideas. Woods, who plans to call the derby “Carnage on the Clark Fork,” is looking to add compact car and pickup truck heats to the derby next year.