Fair Board discusses rodeo sponsorships, barrel racing

The Great Northern Fair Board discussed, at length, issues about how the fairground arena is used including who can sell sponsorships there and how groups can go about renting the grounds.

The board revisited an issue raised at its April meeting, when Missy Boucher, a member of both the fair board and the fair funding foundation's board, asked whether the foundation or the association that puts on the annual rodeo at the fair could sell sponsorships on the chutes at the arena.

Tuesday, board Chair Bert Corcoran, after hearing Boucher's report on the annual Rockin' the Hills fundraiser held last Saturday, asked if the foundation had had discussions with the association about the chute sponsorships.

Boucher replied that nothing had been decided at that point.

Boucher said in April that the foundation had planned, once the chutes were paid off, to use proceeds from the sponsorships to pay for improvements to the fairgrounds.

The sale of sponsorships of chutes, which the foundation bought for the fairgrounds, was set up in five-year contracts, renewable for another five years. The first five years was up in 2012, and the foundation was going to contact the businesses about renewing them, but last year the association that puts on the Northern Rodeo Association-sanctioned event at the Great Northern Fair sold a contract for one of those chutes, she said.

Boucher asked if the fair board wanted the foundation to continue with the chute sponsorship fundraiser, or turn that over to the rodeo association and find another fundraiser.

In that meeting, after an extensive discussion of the issue, fairgrounds manager Tim Solomon suggested that the groups putting on rodeos pay a rental fee to the foundation for use of the chutes, and could then sell sponsorships for their events.

Tuesday, Sue Brurud of the rodeo association, said that group is putting on the rodeo at no charge to the fair board, and listed extensive work the group has done at the arena at a cost of thousands of dollars and countless hours of labor, as well as giving a scholarship to the fair rodeo queen.

Brurud said that it seems to her the fair board is giving the rodeo association nothing and asking the association to then give the fair board, or foundation, some of the money it earns back from the rodeo.

Corcoran said that is not accurate. The board paid the association $10,000 in its first year to put on the rodeo and gave it the full $14,000 in ticket sales.

It continues to give the association the gate proceeds, and the association is the one that put in a zero dollar bid to put on the rodeo, he said.

Corcoran added he doesn't see it that the board is asking the association to give anything to the board — he just wanted to know if the issue of who would sell the chute sponsorships had been resolved.

Brurud said the understanding of the association was that all of the contracts in question were expired and the association could sell new sponsorships.

Boucher said the contracts had been sold by the foundation for five years with an option to renew with the foundation for another five years. Many of the first five-year contracts expired last year and this would have been the year to renew for another five years if the sponsors wished, she said.

Brurud said the goal of both groups is the same — the rodeo association wants to use the sponsorships to improve the arena, which, she said, is what Boucher had said the foundation wanted to do.

Boucher said during the April meeting when she asked the board to rule on whether the foundation or the rodeo association would be allowed to sell the sponsorships that the foundation had planned, once the chutes were paid for, to use the sponsorships for other improvements such as on new bathrooms for the fairgrounds.

Both Boucher and Solomon said the idea of the foundation renting out the chutes and the groups renting the facility selling their own sponsorships was raised for discussion at the April meeting.

Solomon said it is too close to the fair — scheduled for July 17-21 — to make changes for this year's fair, but it could be changed for events next year including the Montana State University-Northern Bull-A-Rama and college rodeo.

"You sell it, you put whatever banner you want on that, and each group can do that," he said.

Board member Gus Sharp said that is how sponsorships commonly are sold, and are used to help put on each rodeo.

"As we all know, these events are not profitable," he added.

Brurud said at the end of the discussion that it was too late to work on the issue now, and that the association was busy working on putting on the rodeo and the concerts by the band II Amendment it is sponsoring in conjunction with the rodeo.

She said she thinks the issue could be revisited in the fall.

Hi-Line Barrel Racing Association member Laine Jorgensen then raised another question about arena. She said the association would like to hold events at the fairgrounds, but its members feel as if they are not welcome.

Solomon said he is willing to work with the association. Fees and requirements are set in fair policy, and the association would be treated the same as any other group, he said.

Jorgenson said the fees involved — $50 per use, $40 if the fairgrounds employees have to work the grounds and $100 if the arena is watered — are too high for the association to be able to use the arena.

Mike Arnold said that part of the issue is that the fair and fairgrounds receive very little in county tax revenue. The fairgrounds are intended to be self-sustaining, which is why fees have to be charged, he said.

Solomon said he is willing to work with the association and try to find some way to make it work for them. The fees are simply to try to help pay the costs in maintaining the fairgrounds, he said.

"It's not that we're trying to run you off," Solomon said.

Board member Andy Owens said it sounds like the barrel riding association wants to be able to use the facilities for free and to take all of the proceeds as well.

Jorgensen said the association does not make any money on the events it puts on.

Brurud suggested looking into a similar arrangement as in the saddle club to which she belongs that operates facilities in Big Sandy.

The club charges annual dues, and charges a fee to groups that use the facility. The club then maintains the area, including preparing it for groups to use, she said.

Such an organization also might work for the Great Northern Fairgrounds, Brurud said.