Kootenai County Fairgrounds leaders highlight community role, say 2024 county agreement secures site for 20 years

Alexia Jordan, general manager and CEO of the Kootenai County Fairgrounds and North Idaho State Fair, told a community event that the fairgrounds are a long-running community resource and that a 2024 agreement with the Kootenai County Board of County Commissioners secures the site for the next 20 years.

Jordan said the fairgrounds operate year-round and described it as an "83-acre open space" that serves the region. She said the organization is financially self-sustaining: buildings on the site are county-owned, she said, but staff, maintenance and operating expenses are covered by fair revenue and rental income rather than county payroll funds. "We generate 100% of the money that maintains it," Jordan said.

Jordan and other speakers outlined the fairgrounds' community programs and economic footprint. Jordan said the grounds hosted 327 unique events in 2025, totaling 93 event days and drawing nearly 300,000 visitors; she described the events as generating an estimated $30 million in economic impact for the local community. Those figures were presented by Jordan as organizational estimates.

Speakers stressed youth and education roles at the fairgrounds. Presenters said the fairgrounds support a large 4‑H presence (one speaker cited participation "over 700" youth), operate a spring field‑trip program that serves fifth graders, and reach roughly 2,000 schoolchildren annually with hands‑on agriculture education. "We educate close to 2,000 kids a year about what agriculture is," one presenter said.

Amaly Johnson, who identified herself as a former rodeo queen, described personal benefits from scholarships and the North Idaho Fair and Rodeo Foundation's fundraising. "Because of their scholarship program, I have been able to complete my bachelor's degree and will be able to continue on to my master's degree," Johnson said.

Matt Green, president of the Junior Fair Board, said volunteerism and youth leadership are central to the fairgrounds' operation and pointed to behind‑the‑scenes planning that makes events possible.

Jordan also pointed to recent facility work — including a repurposed building the speakers called the Jaclyn building — and said a new office building is under way. She thanked the county commissioners for the 2024 agreement, saying it gives the community certainty to plan and invest. "This is your fairgrounds," she said, "This is where traditions come alive and this is where North Idaho gathers."

The program closed with an invitation to community members to attend the August fair, which speakers described as the region's signature 10‑day event. Jordan said continued projects and investments are planned to support future events and community uses.