Fair Board discusses future changes and concerns

WORLAND – The Washakie County Fair Board met Monday evening, in their continuing effort to finalize plans for the 2017 Washakie County Fair, July 21 through Aug. 5 at the Washakie County Fairgrounds in Worland.

In advance of the tractor pull event scheduled for July 29, the attending board members heard from Jay Richard of Jay’s Detail, the providing vendor for the tractors. Richard expressed that an American flag was not readily available at last year’s event, and the flagpole at the fairgrounds is broken.

The board agreed that an opening ceremony, including local law enforcement and firefighters would be a good addition, and expressed interest in providing signage and a flag for the event.

The board discussed the liability of hosting 50/50 events for charity or fundraising, and whether they complied with the current vendor contract and qualified for insurance. The board decided to refer the matter to County Attorney John Worrall for guidance, before accepting 50/50 proposals.

The board noted that they are still in need of both a beef and sheep superintendent for the fair, and will begin making contacts with experienced candidates if none volunteer before next week.

There was lengthy discussion of future changes to the entrance and exit access to the fairgrounds, due to traffic congestion and highway parking during the fair. The board decided that it is too late to make physical changes this year, but it needs to be addressed in the future.

The board also discussed a revised procedure to review the budget, and to set up a budget workshop in March, before fair planning.

The board will meet again on Monday, July 24, at 7 p.m. at the fairgrounds. All meetings are open to the public for comment.