Board seeks opinions for fair dates, entertainment

WORLAND — The Washakie County Fair Board is seeking residents’ opinions on the dates for next year’s fair, as well as entertainment and times for livestock shows.

A survey, through SurveyMonkey is being developed but people can also contact the fair board through its website at washakiecountyfair.com.

The Wyoming State Fair will be the week of Aug. 15. The county fair if they use the same schedule as this year would run July 25-29, likely putting it a week ahead of Big Horn and Hot Springs county fairs and there would be a two week break before the state fair.

Washakie County 4-H Educator Amber Armajo said she has not talked to many parents about whether they liked the schedule or not.

In a previous meeting, board members said they heard from the public that people liked being on a different schedule than the neighboring county fairs.

There was question at Monday’s meeting whether July was too early to have swine projects ready.

Armajo said they have 10 to 15 hogs that do not make weight every year, no matter when fair is scheduled.

Board member Dani Rice reported that Washakie County Maintenance Supervisor Tom Schmeltzer said a drain was not needed in the sheep barn where the board would like to put in a cement floor.

McClellan and MacQueen have offered to donate the labor and Big Horn RediMix is donated 25 yards of cement with the county being asked to purchase the other 25 yards for about $3,500.

Schmeltzer reported to the commissioners on Tuesday that he did not feel a drain would be worth the expense.

Commissioner Aaron Anderson said with all that was being donated it would only be appropriate for the county to pay for the additional $3,500.

ENTERTAINMENT

Board member Sherry Water said Jarred Rogerson of Pinedale contacted the board through its website stating he would be interested in doing a grandstand concert. Cost would be $3,500 per night she said.

She said she also has contacted a motorcycle stunt team about doing shows at next year’s fair.

Water said she would like to bring in donkey basketball in November as a fundraiser for the board.

The board agreed to see if they can bring the group in with Water tasked with checking with Worland High School to see if the gym would be available Nov. 16, Nov. 17 or Nov. 18.

The board is also looking into signing up for Amazon and Costco fundraisers where people making online purchases can donate to the Washakie County Fair for improvements at the fair.

In her report to the board, Armajo said she agreed with beef superintendent Myles Bush that the Bred and Fed should be a separate show. Armajo said having a separate show gives the youth another opportunity to show their animals.

She said during a Renegades meeting, also Monday night, they would like the board to consider having some of the livestock shows earlier, especially the swine show. Temperatures during the swine show were around 105 degrees.

Chairman Jeff Lapp said the change for the swine show to the evening was due to complaints that people cannot attend the show when it is during the day. The swine show is the only show in the evening. The sheep show is in the morning and the beef show is in the afternoon.

Armajo said the board needs to fix the cage at the livestock scale.

She would like a ribbon inventory completed earlier rather than later and said keeping the ribbons simple – just a champion ribbon rather than ribbons that specify showmanship and livestock – would be better.

Armajo said there also needs a better system to track health checks when youth check in their animals.

Finally, she said she would recommend cleanup day the Tuesday before week of fair, with everyone in agreement that a weeknight brought better turnout for youth volunteers than a Saturday morning.

At Tuesday’s commissioner meeting, Lapp asked the commissioners about the old sheep pens, with the commissioners last month considering putting them out for bid. The board would like to offer them for sale to the 4-H youth.

Schmeltzer said, “They don’t take up that much space. I think they would be worth holding on to.”

The commissioners agreed to hold onto the old pens right now.

They also agreed to participate if the fair board brought back the free root beer floats. In the past the commissioners distributed the floats to fair attendees.