Guthrie County Fair Board President Grant Sheeder addressed the County Board of Supervisors at Thursday’s budgeting session regarding the 2017 Guthrie County Fair. Sheeder sees the whole weekend as on overwhelming success.
The most significant change to this year’s fair was the addition of two new buildings. The new small animal and cattle barns feature higher ceilings, LED lights, and structures above the current flood plain. The project was made possible with the help of several donations, including: $20,000 from the Zach Meacham Memorial Fund, $25,000 from the Guthrie County Cattlemen’s Association, and $12,000 from Guthrie County 4-H’s Garage Sale fundraiser. There’s still approximately $60,000 in loans to be repaid for the project.
Supervisor Tom Rutledge commented on the importance of these two new buildings. “I think the community and the donors and the people volunteering finally felt like something directly is going right to what the kids are doing at the fair time.”
Sheeder then mentioned that the fair had set record attendance, due in large part to the change in the midway. The Fair Board instituted an $8 ticket price for everyone six and up, but in doing so made carnival rides free of charge. The Fair Board plans to keep it that way for next year. Sheeder commented on the change in ticket prices and its impact on the fair’s success. “The fair’s about the kids. That was one of the deals we really wanted to implement. When we can have Mom and Dad bring their three kids for $24, rather than a wristband that costs $20 per child, They’re going to go spend that money at the Lions Club, the 4-H Club, or the other food vendors.”
This year’s fair also added a cattle barn partition to allow for more cattle entries. As far as future large projects are concerned, the Fair Board has discussed a new Lions Club building and bringing the static building closer to the main thoroughfare. The Fair Board would also like to address the bathrooms at the campground, as well as a playground in the same space.
The next Steak Dinner is March 3rd. Last year’s dinner raised nearly $60,000 for the Fair.