Fair board discusses schedule and projects ahead of fair

The Great Northern Fair Board, despite a lack of quorum, discussed a number of issues for coming fairs at their monthly meeting Tuesday evening, including their schedule, upcoming projects, and cleaning duties.

During the meeting Demolition Derby Project Chair Hondo Owens, who attended as a member of the public, said he wonders if they can alternate places with the truck pull in future fairs.

Fair board members said that might be difficult, due to the clean up that is needed after the derby and how that would impact the schedule if it is moved.

Fair Board Chair Michelle Burchard said their rodeos need to be more or less back to back because of the conditions they require in the arena and she’s not sure switching up the schedule will improve attendance for the derby, a sentiment echoed by fellow board member Ken Erickson.

Burchard said things have changed and the economics of demolition derbies these days is difficult to sustain compared to years ago and she understands that the derby is looking to get as much attendance as possible, but she’d like to have that conversation with people from both the derby and truck pull to see what’s practical from all their perspectives.

The board also discussed clean up duties, with Burchard suggesting that they expand the responsibility of the Havre High School band to include cleaning the grandstand, which would come with more pay.

She said that people from the derby often end up cleaning up the trash left behind by concessions at the fair, and, unlike some events, they don’t get a cut of the proceeds from concessions, so it seems unfair to have them doing that.

She also said she thinks they should make clear that the duty of unclogging toilets during the fair belongs to fair staff, not the band students, though with the fair’s new bathrooms installed she hopes that won’t be a big problem this year.

Board member Bob Kaul said the board’s Buildings and Grounds Committee has constructed a new project priority list for the coming months, including the installation of a second set of new bathrooms, the replacement of the horse pavilion’s east wall, the rehabilitation of the storage building’s roof, and the insulating of the grounds’ shop.

He also proposed a new rule that all major grounds projects be completed by July 1.

In the last two years, he said, they’ve had projects going up until the day the fair starts, which has created problems that he would like to avoid from now on, and this would make the lead up to the event a bit less frantic.

Fairgrounds Manager Frank English provided the board with an update on the ongoing work at the grounds.

He said new hand railing has been installed in the Bigger Better Barn, which is being prepared for upcoming events and arrangements are also being made for the new set of bathrooms.

He said the campgrounds are up and running as well.