Fair board approves lighting upgrades

It's been confirmed and a contract has been signed - the Sanders County Fair will have a carnival.

Manager Kristy Sheehan found an interested carnival last month, but it wasn't until recently that the county attorney approved an official contract signed by Sheehan and the owner of Midway West Amusement, which is based in Arizona. Sheehan said they'll be bringing 18-20 rides, including around 10 rides for younger kids, along with several games and a few food booths. The contract calls for Midway West Amusement to give a percentage of what they take to the county.

Midway West Amusement has done a handful of fairs in Montana and Idaho and wants to try to get more around the area, according to Sheehan. "I have talked with other fairs and vendors from other fairs and they have very good reviews for this carnival. I am really looking forward to them coming up and putting on a great show for the community," said Sheehan, who worked directly with the carnival owner to get it to Sanders County. Sheehan started as the fair manager in January and is already working on several projects for the 2024 fair. She said the county attorney was quick about getting the carnival contract back to her in order to lock the company down so it didn't go elsewhere.

The manager said that Midway West Amusement will be sending 1,500 carnival wristband vouchers for early sales at a discounted price. People will be able to buy wristbands at the fair for $40, which would be good for all day with no limitations on how long a person can ride that day. Midway West Amusement was one of around 20 companies that Sheehan talked with when she first took the manager position. Megan Hansen, the county attorney, will be looking over fair contracts for food and commercial vendors, parking, security, emergency medical services, tickets, and rodeo, said Sheehan.

Eight people showed up for last Wednesday night's monthly meeting at the fairgrounds pavilion, including Commissioners Johnny Holland and Dan Rowan and Sanders County Extension Agent Juli Thurston, who heads 4-H activities in the county.

Members of the fair board unanimously approved a motion to accept a proposal from Smith Electric of Thompson Falls to update the aging arena lights. Board member Randy Woods said it was determined that when an LED fixture goes bad, if it's not shut down, it can cause the fixtures to fail, which prompted Smith Electric to propose adding a circuit breaker on every bank of lights so that if one goes bad, it can be manually shut down and the rest could be left on. Under the first plan, they were all on one switch and they were either all on or all off.

The original bid, which was approved last August, was $62,631, but with the change, the bid went to $80,663, due to inflation, extra materials and labor increases. The board also approved $1,000 at last month's meeting to pay someone to inspect the integrity of the power poles, which was planned for last Saturday. However, it's unknown how quickly the findings will be sent to the board, although it'll most likely be before the March meeting. The board voted to pay $15,000 for underground wiring if the poles don't have to be replaced. If any poles need to be replaced, the board will revisit the underground wiring work.

Board member Ted Forkum reported that the 9th Battle of the Scholars in Miles City went well and that the $500 sponsorship from Sanders County was money well spent. Of all the sponsors of the program, Forkum was the only one to volunteer his time to help with the event. He also had the opportunity to talk with the riders about the Sanders County Fair rodeo. "It's cool to be supporting the future of the sport," said board member Kim McMahon. The annual two-day event is put on by Powder River Rodeo, which does the Sanders County Fair each year.

The board would like to add new bleachers behind the bucking chutes and move the present ones to the 4-H arena area. The new bleachers would be higher so that fans can see over the rodeo officials working on the catwalk. Sheehan found that bleachers would run between $15,000 to $25,000 for one set and the board is looking to get two. Lowering the catwalk would be more expensive, said Woods. New bleachers would add an estimated 180 more seats. Woods said that three performances would pay for the new bleachers. He said it would pay for itself in the first year. Board member Jim Newman suggested they wait until the light project is completed.

Sheehan said the county advertised for a maintenance person, but no one had applied as of last Wednesday. She said she'd like to see how much the maintenance person gets done before hiring any additional summer help. Sheehan also noted that Plains resident Lily MacDonald, a 2023 Plains High School graduate, will be singing the national anthem at the fair events this year.

For the first time in maybe over 20 years the fairgrounds will be a part of the annual Plains Day festivities with team roping and barrel racing on the Sunday after Plains Day, which is June 1 this year. She said they might have the beer garden open and musical entertainment, as well as vendors.

Thurston said they are looking to upgrade the electrical system in the beef and poultry barns, getting bids on repairs for the horse barn, and working on getting a grant to replace the roof of the swine barn. She said they're having a blood drive at the pavilion on March 22.

The 4-H ambassadors will provide a free babysitting service for those who bring children.

The next fair board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 13, at 6 p.m. at the fairgrounds pavilion.