Commissioners adopt updated fairgrounds application and fee schedule; $1,200 weekend rate clarified

Alleghany County commissioners voted unanimously to approve an updated fairgrounds application and fee schedule, allowing the county and the Fairgrounds Committee to begin booking events under the new structure.

The Fairgrounds Committee representatives presented a revised use policy and bylaws and described several operational updates, including a new $1 million liability policy covering committee members while working on events and insurance on equipment. The committee also said it is developing a website and event calendar to streamline reservations and vendor signups.

Committee members and staff walked commissioners through the fee schedule. Key rates in the proposed schedule include a barn rental at $100 per day; the Emerson Black building at $150 per day or $1,000 per week; the grandstand at $500 per day or $2,000 per week; and camper hookups at $40 per day. The committee clarified that the “$1,200” rate for the entire fairgrounds applies to a weekend package (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) and includes grandstand and campsites. For the county’s four core volunteer-run events (pie festival, Fiberfest, Fiddlers Convention and County Fair), the committee recommended allowing an extra day for setup/teardown without an additional fee; for for‑profit events the committee said extra days would be charged.

Committee representatives emphasized unresolved operational details that staff and the committee will finalize, including specifying rules for sawdust disposal in the show barn and providing a county inventory of fairgrounds equipment for insurance documentation. “We took out a million dollar liability policy that covers any and all members of the fairgrounds committee while doing work or putting on events at the fairgrounds,” the committee representative said. The committee also agreed to provide the equipment inventory to the county manager.

Commissioner Garrison Wagner made the motion to approve the application and fee schedule as presented with the clarification that the $1,200 rate covers the weekend; the motion was seconded and passed 5‑0. Commissioners and committee members agreed the rules and bylaws can continue to be refined and that the approved fee schedule can be adjusted later if necessary.

The action clears the administrative hurdle that had prevented the committee from accepting bookings; committee members said they will proceed to make applications available, begin scheduling events and continue work on operational clarifications.