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Fair Board Reviews 2018 County Performance

The Cheyenne County Fair Board met Monday night to review this year’s events. The overall opinion is the numbers are up from last year.

“Attendance was up,” said board member Anita Pennel.

She clarified some of the numbers are estimates. The ambiguity is because of how entrance to grandstand events included children under 12 at no charge. Pennel said 1,340 people attended the rodeo, up from 2017. She said final numbers are estimates based on taking the number of tickets sold and multiplying it by three as an average number of children to pass through the gates with adults.

“There’s no way of tracking [accurate numbers] for sure,” she said.

Total attendance for grandstand events is estimated at about 7,100. Pennel attributed some of the increase to the change in the price structure. She said ticket books in 2017 were $60. For 2018, the prices were dropped to $35.

“The attendance on the rodeo, it’s the highest it’s been in a long time,” said Fair Board President Gerald Frerichs.

Capacity of he grandstands is about 2,500 seats, according to board discussion Monday.

One issue that became a proverbial chicken and the egg discussion is how to plan a carnival for the next fair, and how to plan a back-up plan. Board discussion included if they should see what companies are available and plan around their schedules, or set a date and expect an entertainment company to meet Cheyenne County’s needs. The question is further complicated by the limited number of carnival companies who would schedule a show the size of Cheyenne County.

The board decided to plan for the last week of July into the first days of August.

One of the new attractions this year is the Family Fun Night. Family Fun Night included a zip line, a photo booth, face painting and many other activities including a contest between first responders. Pennel said she has been approached by people who have new ideas for next year’s Family Fun Night.

Frerichs said the Fair Board has a sponsor for the 2019 barbecue. The board clarified that the barbecue is for ticket holders of the specific event. It is not free to all who attend the Fair. This year, the free barbecue came with attendance to the tractor pull.

In reviewing this year’s fair, the board also noted the demolition derby had about 23 cars enter this year. The board also discussed requiring PRCA competitors to fill out 1099 forms upon registering for the rodeo.

 

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