Commission discusses fair security, concert proposal

The Sanders County Fair Commission has approved the creation of a seasonal administrative position, which is set to begin in April. Advertising for the position will start in March.

In addition, the commission voted to allocate $250 for a sponsorship with the Montana High School Rodeo Association. Fair Board Manager Kristy Sheehan noted that last year, the Sanders County Fairgrounds sponsored an advertisement displayed on the big screen during the Montana High School Rodeo event at the Majestic Valley Arena in Kalispell. 

“The High School Rodeo is the one that we have here," she said. "It started last year and will come back this year in May and possibly again in October.” 

Sheehan continued, “They are thinking about moving their state finals here. It might be a good idea to keep sponsoring them.” 

Next on the agenda, for commission members, was a discussion on providing security personnel for the upcoming fair. Sheehan received several inquiries about providing security for the fair. 

Local Montana Highway Patrol Officer, Steve Spurr, was going to submit a proposal. 

Before accepting any proposals, Sheehan said she would need to check if security was a law enforcement officer only requirement. In previous years, the Sanders County Sheriff's Office has provided security. 

“That has been one of my complaints with the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office," Chair Randy Woods said. "The fair has been with us for 110 years, or something like that, and they act like it’s a big surprise. They need to plan a budget and put that in their scheduling. It’s a county event; county taxpayers are paying for it. The Sheriff’s Office should have a showing here.” 

Woods continued, “The main thing is having security on the grounds prior to the events. Through the events and also through the night and the biggest thing is the commercial food vendors need to have patrols all night long.” 

In response, commission members voted to put security services out for bid, with requests for proposals set to be published in an upcoming issue of the Ledger newspaper. 

During a previous Fair Commission meeting, members discussed the possibility of hosting breakaway roping events. Sheehan noted the high costs of organizing the event and the lack of necessary facilities at the fairgrounds to meet the requirements of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). The estimated cost of hosting the breakaway roping event is around $11,000. 

Additionally, there was discussion about increasing the prize money to attract more bull riders. Currently, the cost to bring bull riders to the fair stands at $9,000. Further discussions on these matters will be postponed until the next commission meeting, scheduled for Feb. 19. 

The meeting then moved on to a discussion about concerts during fair week. Sheehan shared a proposal from Joel Collett, owner of Studs Building and Home in Plains. According to the proposal, Collett would bring in a medium to large band for one night after the rodeos, a Christian band for the second night, and featured local talent on the third night.

Each concert would be free to the public, at no charge to Sanders County.  

Woods said, “I think what Studs wants to do is a great idea. That is just a beautiful idea. The rodeo is over at 9 p.m. If the music is there and the concert is free, people are going to stay.”  

A motion was made to proceed with the Studs proposal. 

During Sheehan’s fair manager report, she spoke about the upcoming Plains Day event scheduled for June 7. A discussion was held about the need to better coordinate with the Plains Beautification day activities. 

To date there is only one bid proposal for the remodeling of the fairgrounds pavilion. Sheehan said that more bids were needed to be submitted in order to proceed with the project.