Fair looks at events, work on the grounds

The Great Northern Fair Board is considering a request by Scott Doney and Spencer Smith to let them organize a truck pull for the 2022 Great Northern Fair, a matter brought to the board at its monthly meeting Tuesday evening.

Doney said they don't have much nailed down and were mostly just looking to gauge the board's interest in holding the event the Saturday night of the fair.

He and Smith said they'd be willing to do the majority of the work organizing and setting up the event and they aren't really looking to make any money.

Members of the board and Fairgrounds Manager Frank English said they certainly liked the idea, especially since the Havre Jaycees Demolition Derby would likely be moving from Saturday to Sunday, but they would need more details before making any kind of commitment.

English said he would need a cost for the event and Doney said an event like this would be in the $20,000 to $25,000 range, but that is a rough estimate.

He said he thinks the event would break even, but English and members of the board suggested that Doney and Smith try to find sponsors for the event.

English said sponsors would help assure the fair board that they wouldn't be losing money on the event, as they would ultimately be the ones paying for it.

Doney said he didn't have a problem with looking for sponsors, but since the fair now has a mill levy funding it that would likely be harder to do.

Board Member Ken Erickson said the levy was primarily designed as a funding source for the fairgrounds to keep up to date with repairs and things like that, but Doney disagreed with that assessment, saying that's not what people voted for.

"Your mill levy is for the fair and that is to put on a fair, No. 1," he said. "Your grounds come second, Kenny."

Doney said they would charge an entry fee for the event, but that money would pay for the prizes.

No decisions were made on the matter, but board members remained receptive to the idea.

The board also provided an update on their ongoing efforts to improve and repair various facilities at the grounds.

Fair Board Vice-Chair Bob Kaul said he received some plans for restoring the old office building and bringing it up to modern standards so English's office can be moved back into the building and the trailer now being used as his office can be rented out again.

Kaul said he needs more information from the plan's author.

He said they are also looking at prices for remodeling the Bigger Better Barn's bathrooms and, while there is money set aside for that project, it looks like they will need more.

He said the fairgrounds bathrooms near the community center are also being looked into and they have gotten an estimate of roughly $61,000 for the new toilets, but the whole project will likely be much more expensive in total.

Kaul said the prices for the project are pretty outrageous, but Erickson said the toilets that would be installed are very high-quality and specifically designed to never plug.

Kaul said the bathrooms would also be made more handicap-accessible in the process.

He also said in the past month there have been quite a few water leaks on the grounds, and there will certainly be a lot of digging being done in the spring.

He said he suspects their water system would benefit from having some more shutoffs put in.

Kaul said the board is working on long-range planning and putting money away for the future. He said there is a lot to do, and much of the board is new, but progress is being made.

"There's a lot of work to be done up here, and we're trying to get our feet on the ground," he said.

Fair Boad Chair Michelle Burchard said the fair looks good financially and Erickson said he's impressed with the work Frank English has done getting good entertainment at good prices for this year's fair.

The board also approved contracts for four of this year's entertainers, and pre-approved another two contracts, given clarification on some of the language is provided and they are understanding the them correctly.

Burchard said the fair's efforts to purchase security cameras on hold so more research can be done regarding price, and the status of their efforts to get a defibrillator for the grounds is similar.

Kaul said they should talk to the Havre Fire Department or Hill County Search and Rescue.