Fair Commission embraces Golden Rodeo event

Sandy Evenson and Leslie Baldwin from Tough Stock Heritage Productions, Inc. appeared before the Sanders County Fair Commission on Wednesday evening to propose adding a new program to this year’s rodeo aimed at supporting young children battling cancer.

Founded in January 2024, their nonprofit charity was established to meet the requirements for hosting a Golden Rodeo event and to sponsor local charitable efforts. During the presentation, Baldwin shared the history of the Golden Rodeo, which was founded in 2016 with the mission of raising awareness and funds to support children fighting childhood cancer. 

Tough Stock Heritage Productions has already made an impact by introducing its program at the Missoula rodeo and plans to expand to the Kalispell Fair Rodeo. Following the presentation, the Sanders County Fair Commission voted to include their program in this year’s rodeo events. 

The Fair Commission received three bids for security services for this year's fair. The Sanders County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO), which provided security during the 2024 fair, submitted a bid for $15,044, slightly higher than last year's bid of $14,423. The SCSO’s bid included a detailed description of the services offered. 

The second bid came from John Carbom, priced at $9,000, though it lacked significant details.  

The third bid was from Northern States Security and Investigation Inc., owned by Joseph Bettis, a part-time deputy in Mineral County. Bettis’ company has provided security at events in Idaho, Montana and Washington.  

Commission members voted to table the discussion and requested additional information from the bidders before making a decision. 

The commission also approved a bid from Smith Electric for $7,615 to upgrade the electrical infrastructure around the commercial vendor areas. This upgrade is intended to resolve ongoing reliability issues with the electrical service during fair week. 

Finally, the commission addressed a property boundary dispute between the fairgrounds and landowner Marie Cricket Owens.  

Owens raised concerns about an eight-foot section of the property line. In response, Sanders County Fair Manager Kristy Sheehan said via email, “I will be contacting Rocky Mountain Surveyors to come down and clarify the property lines, so we know exactly where the line runs and where Owens’ fence line can be placed.” 

    Sanders County Fair Commision member Brian Crain discusses the three security bids for the upcoming county fair. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)