Demo Derby to still highlight Sanders County Fair

The Sanders County Fair board members recently convened at the fair grounds in Plains to get the wheels in motion for the upcoming fair this summer.

Fair grounds manager Chris McGuigan along with Sanders County Commissioner Carol Brooker also attended the meeting with representatives from 4-H, Lions and concessions.

First on the agenda was the Demolition Derby issue that had been plaguing this years upcoming fair for the last few months.

After last years unfortunate accident in the arena which saw a local Lions club member get seriously injured in an accident, it seemed as though the demo derby may have seen its last days at the fair.

However, over the last few months head Lion for the Plains chapter Duane Highcrane along with Sanders County Commissioners and Fair Board members have been tirelessly working towards keeping the big event a feature.

The biggest hurdle for those organizers was the insurance coverage for Lions club members to be able to work inside the arena safely and effectively.

With Demolition Derby’s being classed as a ‘high risk’ event, it was found that the Lions International did not have the coverage for that particular event. This began the search for insurance coverage options for members.

High crane had mentioned in previous meetings that due to the club being a smaller club, it was difficult for them to be able to raise the money to pay the coverage which would see an upwards cost of around $3,000. That created a major issue, which began whispers of the demo derby may have seen its last event at the 2017 fair.

Brooker, took initiative along side the other commissioners and also the fair board to look for alternative options to not only keep the event but to also ensure the Plains Lions club was able to run the event as seen in past.

After months of back and forth, and researched options, costings, it was decided at the recent meeting, the demo derby and the Lions would stay and the local volunteer club would still be able to earn their fundraising money for the year.

It was presented from McGuigan the possibility of club members would volunteer their services at the event under ‘Sanders County’ for the upcoming fair. This would enable the members working the derby both win and out of the arena, as well as the pit area to be covered under insurance should an accident occur again.

All parties came to the agreement that this was the best option, and the current contract that was still to be in effect for another few years would be cancelled between the fair board and Lions club.

Now, the club will receive a donation from the Sanders County fair board for their work completed during the event on the Sunday of Fair.

A dollar amount of $5,200 was presented as the amount that was generally fundraised and cleared after expenses for the clubs earnings for fair time.

The board members were happy enough to absorb the costings of the expenses and re-adjust their budgets to ensure the volunteer club was able to both work the event and receive much needed funds to continue their work within the immediate community area of Plains.

With the Fair Board absorbing the costs to which the Lion’s club previously took care of, the board decided when they were ready to finalize this years budget for the Demo Derby in particular they would budget approximately $15,000, to ensure they had enough funds to both run the event and pay for the expenses as well as enable them to offer Page Carney a fee for aiding in keeping the demo alive and available for residents to enjoy.

“Even if we spend a few extra dollars it’s worth it-we can’t afford to loose the demo,” said McGuigan.

Other smaller business that was discussed during the meeting, was the contract signings for the carnival.

McGuigan said they were waiting for a signed contract from the a new carnival company that hadn’t arrived in time for the meeting.

He was going to chase the paper work up to ensure it was signed and ready for the May meeting.

He also said that Powder River Rodeo Company would be back for their 33rd year as rodeo stock contractors.

He had confirmed they were on board, however with an accident that occurred with one of the owners he said the contract would also be signed and returned by next meeting.

McGuigan also presented to the board that the costs for the contractors had stayed the same without seeing any increase. This was a delight for McGuigan as he said the rate would stay the same for 2018 and 2019. The cost also included the fee’s for the announcer as well.

Juli Thurston of the MSU 4-H Extension was also in attendance for the meeting and advised the board tat a preliminary program for the 4-H fair classes were already complied. However, with some meetings sill yet to be held such as the livestock, they weren’t confirmed but ensured the board they will be ready for the May meeting to enable the program to be in this years fair book.

The fair theme for the year was also presented to 4-H to once again create a theme. Thurston graciously took on the challenge so a luck Sanders County family/member could possibly become the winner of the competition and earn themselves $25 fair money to spend during this years fair.

McGuigan also brought up the Sanders County Citizen Award that gets presented during the main performance of the rodeo. The award recognizes a county resident who has shown an outstanding commitment to their community through volunteering.

The board is taking nominations, and those who wish to nominate a deserving resident should compile a letter of recommendation to the fair board.

Deadline for nominations is May 16, you can email the board with your letter or you can send through the post. If sent through mail, post mark date must be stamped May 16 to enable the nomination to be accepted.

If you have any queries for the nomination of the Sanders County Citizen Award, you can contact the Sanders County Fair Grounds and speak to the secretary or manager for further details.