Greenlee County supervisors vote to surrender fairgrounds liquor license after successful Lions Club trial; approve road names

The Greenlee County Board of Supervisors voted on May 12 to discontinue the county-held liquor license for the Greenlee County Fairgrounds, after Fair Director Justine Holgin told the board a 2025 pilot that contracted bar services to the Morreny Lions Club produced no alcohol-related incidents and eased staff workload.

Justine Holgin, Fair Director, said the Lions Club "did a wonderful job managing bar operations" and that law enforcement reported no incidents related to alcohol. Holgin told supervisors the volunteer club enforced ID checks consistently: "I seen the Lions Club ... carding everyone, even if they looked 70 years old." She said festival staff felt a "huge weight lifted" over inventory and balancing responsibilities when a nonprofit operated the bar.

Holgin asked the board for permission to discontinue the county's liquor license for the fairgrounds and to allow nonprofits or private renters to provide alcohol under their own event insurance or through temporary seller licenses. She noted that dropping the county license would not prevent the county from applying for a special-event license when the county wants to retain control of bar services.

Supervisors pressed staff on liability and operational details. Staff responded that when an outside vendor holds the license and provides its own insurance, "the responsibility shifts primarily to them," while the county retains general premises liability coverage. They confirmed renters may bring alcohol for private events if the renter has appropriate event insurance; vendors selling alcohol (including nonprofits) must secure a temporary license to sell.

Following discussion, a supervisor moved to approve surrendering the Greenlee County Fairgrounds' county-held liquor license; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

The board also approved names for two newly constructed roads at the fairgrounds. Holgin recommended "Rodeo Way," to reflect local rodeo and western heritage, and "Legacy Lane," to honor generations of volunteers and contributors to the fairgrounds. After brief placement clarification from staff, a motion to approve the names passed unanimously.

Holgin gave a broader operational update for the 2026 fair: the event is scheduled for Sept. 17–20 with the theme "Let the Good Times Grow." The parade is being shifted to Thursday to encourage business participation; Sun Valley Rides will operate the carnival Thursday through Saturday, with Sunday operation optional due to an additional $5,000 cost. Other planned programming includes a National Intercollegiate Rodeo, live-streaming arrangements, a cornhole tournament and family-friendly attractions. Holgin said vendor and exhibitor applications have been posted and that staffing and some outstanding contracts are being finalized for future board agendas.

The meeting closed with the board praising Holgin for the fair planning work and the board's unanimous approval of the liquor-license surrender and the road names. The board did not detail changes to any county policy beyond the administrative decision to drop the county-held license and rely on outside vendors' licenses and insurance for alcohol service.