Board sets Jefferson County Fair dates for 2026 and schedules January retreat; staff to draft standalone event-complex website

The Fair Board on Sept. 9 set the Jefferson County Fair & Rodeo dates for 2026 as July 22–25 and voted to hold a board retreat (targeted for the weekend of Jan. 9–10) to onboard incoming members and set goals. The board also discussed an initiative to create a standalone website for the event complex and to improve online ticketing, marketing and sponsorship messaging.

Why it matters: Formalizing next year’s fair dates allows staff and vendors to plan and gives organizers an opportunity to contact staple vendors proactively. A dedicated, standalone website for the Jefferson County Event Complex would separate county government content from event marketing, make bookings and ticketing more user-friendly, and provide a portal for sponsors.

Decisions and direction: The board voted to approve July 22–25, 2026 as the fair dates and approved scheduling a retreat in January (proposed weekend Jan. 9–10) with legacy board members invited to brief the newly seated board. On website strategy Bart said a separate site would better support marketing, allow package-level sponsorship placement and improve navigation; staff will begin a back‑end review of the county site and prepare options for a standalone site and sponsorship model.

Next steps: Staff will 1) place the 2026 fair dates in vendor outreach and re-open vendor portals; 2) circulate proposed retreat agenda and logistics; and 3) do a website inventory and vendor/marketing plan and bring recommended options to the board.

Ending: Board members emphasized measurable retreat outcomes (clear goals, role delineation and responsibilities) and asked staff to return with cost estimates and sample sites for a separate Event Complex web presence.