Sanders County Fair takes over Plains
Danielle Switalski
Never having been to the Sanders County Fair myself, it is clear that if there is one thing to prepare for it is to eat and eat a lot and also to remember to take my stretchy pants out of the closet. Root beer floats, homemade quesadillas, George's Mad Cow barbeque, mini donuts, Chinese food and a new Japanese food vendor this year. What more could a girl ask for?
It's definitely official that the 2009 Sanders County Fair is here and it's time to kick back, ride some carnival rides, be entertained with music, a rodeo and the demolition derby and of course, eat until you drop, or as Fair Manager Mike Hashisaki says “just go and graze.”
“I think everybody looks at this as their end of summer fling,” said Mike Hashisaki.
And what better way to celebrate the end of summer than with a county fair. This is the time for folks to relax and have some fun.
Hashisaki said there will be some changes and upgrades to this year's fair that returning fair goers will notice, however.
First there is a new secure storage area car-port built between the caretakers house and the Agricultural Building. The agricultural building has also been rebuilt. The entire outside of the building has been re-sheeted in white metal, the doors have been replaced, all the electrical wiring has been upgraded, a new concrete floor has been laid and there is now full spectrum lighting, which Hashisaki says, has been used “so all the colors of the flowers come out.”
The last major bit of construction that was done for the fair this year is a big refuse pit built to fit two refuse containers in order to provide easy access for the cleaning crew and Refuse Department.
And finally, “we brought the lawn back from the dead which was a huge undertaking,” said Hashisaki.
Both motocross and miniature bull-riding were dropped this year because there was never a good turnout for these two events at the fair, explained Hashisaki. The event to take the place of motocross is the Christian Concert, which features the Tim Bach band and is set to be opened by the Rocky Mountain River Kings jazz ensemble Thursday Sept. 3.
“This way there is a little bit of music for everybody,” said Hashisaki.
Besides the Christian Concert, main attractions include the PRCA rodeo, the PRCA bullriding and the PRCA demolition derby.
Hashisaki expects the demolition derby to have an extra treat for guests this year. Several years ago at the demo derby, an Abrams tank, the 80 ton tank currently used by the United States military came into the ring and completely crushed one of the derby cars. Hashisaki said there is supposed to be an Abrams tank again this year.
This is Hashisaki's 19th year as Fair Manager and, he explains, it just keeps getting bigger and bigger every year with crowds coming in from further and further away.
There is an expected 40-45,000 people to attend the fair this year. To deal with the amount of traffic the fair brings in, one final addition will be the use of traffic signals at the main intersection of the fair. Although there is already a yield sign at the intersection, Hashisaki warns that during the fair on Friday, Saturday and Sunday it will be a stoplight.
“Just be warned don't run the red light because there will be deputies there and you will get a ticket,” said Hashisaki.
There you have it, get ready to be entertained, to eat and to stop at the stop light at this year's fair.
“It's just like it always is, an old fashioned country fair,” added Hashisaki.
The judging of Open Class entries for Arts, Crafts and Photography, and Home sewing and Needlecraft began Tuesday. Buildings open at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The Open Ranch Horse competition kicks off the day at 9 a.m. Saturday morning. Sunday opens at 8:30 a.m. with Church Services in the Main Arena. For a more detailed list of events please visit