Many events coming to Great Northern Fairgrounds

The Great Northern Fair Board met Tuesday and discussed a number of events coming up on the fairgrounds as well as a change in their plans to replace the horse barn on the grounds.

Board member Bob Kaul said after an investigation by himself, Fairgrounds Manager Frank English and fellow Board member Ken Erickson they found that the I-beams in the building are still good and they recommend reroofing it instead of replacing it.

Kaul said he knows that’s an expensive project, but he feels they still need the building for equipment storage, particularly during the winter, so they should reroof it, and the board voted unanimously to do just that.

Erickson also brought up a critical winter-related project, the garage.

He said the structure’s girders and trusses need to be reinforced immediately or the roof will not survive the winter, so the project needs to be put on the next agenda.

“It’s not going to be a big expense, but something has to be done before winter,” he said.

During the meeting the board also voted unanimously to make the position of fairgrounds manager a full-time year-round job.

Board Chair Michelle Burchard said until now the position was full time for part of the year, but ¾ time for most of it, and it’s become evident that that needs to change. Kaul and Erickson enthusiastically agreed.

Burchard said the fair’s financials look good and they’ve budgeted a big chunk of money toward improvements to the Bigger Better Barn, but it’s looking like they won’t need to use nearly as much as budgeted so there should be plenty left over.

Hill County Commissioner Diane McLean, who attended as a member of the public, asked that the board meet with the commission regarding their budget, which they had not done yet.

The board also discussed rates for people using the fairgrounds for horses, with year-round membership fees jumping from $225 to $300, and student fees going from $150 t0 $200, but daily riding fees staying at $40.

During the meeting English also detailed a number of events going on at the grounds in the coming month including the Montana State University-Northern Rodeo this weekend at the Bigger Better Barn.

In October, he said, there will be the Northern Lights Jamboree from the 5th to the 10th in the chuckwagon, the United Way Craft Lab from the 14th to the 16th and the Havre High School Rodeo on the 15th and 16th.

And a concert by top-10 single creating Country band BlackHawk is set for Oct. 20.