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Broadwater County fair organizers report higher entries, parking strains and equipment costs after 2025 event
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Summary
Broadwater County Fair Board members said open-class entries doubled from the prior year, the rodeo drew record Saturday attendance, and the board is weighing repairs, porta‑potty costs and judge fee increases ahead of 2026 planning.
Broadwater County Fair Board members on Sept. 11 reviewed the 2025 fair, saying open-class entries rose substantially, the rodeo broke Saturday attendance records and parking and water-supply problems will shape next year’s planning.
At the meeting, the open-class superintendent reported "double the entries" compared with the prior year and described strong building interaction around a jean‑quilt exhibit. The superintendent and other board members said the commercial building struggled to attract walk‑in traffic and discussed new ideas — a “fair passport” of vendor stamps, more under‑tent activities on Saturday and outreach to school art programs — to increase time-on-site for families.
The rodeo coordinator told the board the rodeo had a record turnout on Saturday and that organizers saw far more spectators than in prior years. She said an expanded crowd prompted renewed discussions about parking options, including use of offsite fields and potentially bussing spectators in, because the county will not be able to use the airport parking area again next year.
Board members said the county road crew repaired asphalt near the livestock parking area shortly before the event, and that repair work likely prevented more serious traffic problems for horse trailers and contestants.
The board reviewed several cost items and budget impacts from the 2025 fair. Open‑class and 4‑H premiums paid from the petty cash fund totaled $3,487, the superintendent said. The board reported paying about $1,200 for porta‑potties and hand‑wash stations after a water‑system failure that blew the pump in an underground pump house; the pump failure was traced to a broken line and an overloaded culvert. The superintendent said maintenance has been handling utility and janitorial bills centrally and that some recurring costs (phone/service fees) moved to a countywide maintenance account.
Board members said they are considering whether to repair the yellow restroom building or to continue renting porta‑potties because the building has extensive bird‑nest debris, exposed metal walls and other maintenance needs. One board member noted that porta‑potty service twice over the weekend remained necessary despite open indoor restrooms.
Judging expenses also rose because the small‑animal show was split into poultry, pocket pets and rabbits, requiring additional judges. The board reported judge payments totaling $835 and discussed options such as splitting entry limits or shifting judge costs to the 4‑H program if entries keep growing.
Vendors and the commercial building drew mixed reviews. Organizers said food vendors had strong sales — one vendor told staff that Saturday was his biggest sale in six years — but the commercial building had empty spots and some attractions, such as an escape room, drew limited traffic. Board members discussed using feather flags, sandwich boards and clearer interior signage to direct visitors into the building and suggested recruiting local organizations to run small activities under the tent to increase dwell time.
The board also discussed member renewals and recruitment: Sheila confirmed she will step down at the end of the year (term to 12/31/2025) and the board agreed to begin advertising the open seat for the required 30‑day recruitment period.
Members described engagement at the meeting as robust: multiple reports were presented (open class, vendors, rodeo, 4‑H, rentals and budget) and several follow‑up tasks were assigned to staff and maintenance. Board members asked staff to contact school teachers about displaying student art in the commercial building and to pursue display resources such as freestanding display boards the school retains.
Looking ahead, the board identified parking as a top implementation risk for 2026, noting the airport lot used this year is unlikely to be available and that irrigation risers and livestock needs constrain alternate fields. The board asked staff and county maintenance to convene on options and costs.
The meeting closed with scheduling and event updates: a Montana Draft Horse event will use the grounds, several graduations are already booked, and the board discussed November meeting-date options to handle fall planning and board renewals.
