Tentative 2026 fair schedule approved

For the first time in a long time, there was a full fair board in place. At the May 6 Big Horn County Fair Board meeting, the full board approved a tentative schedule for this year’s fair. Fair Coordinator Dusty Miller was introduced by board member Rebecca Bates and  Katrina Zeller attended her first meeting as the newest appointee to the board. She joins board members Bates, Tracy Haley, Tim Allen, Dan VanderPloeg, Eron Lampon and Jesse Dewey. 

The tentative schedule for entertainment is: 

Cowboy Polo, Monday July 27. 

Goat Roping, Tuesday, July 28. 

Pig show, Wednesday, July 29. 

Pig Wrestling, Thursday July 30. 

Rodeo, Friday July 31.

Dance, July 31 

Community Breakfast, parade, Junior Livestock sale, demo derby and teen dance Saturday, August 1. 

Church Service and Tough Truck, Sunday, August 2. 

Free Stage, July 29-August 1.  

 FAIR BOOK/POLICIES  

The fair book cover contest has been extended to May 20. The art must reflect the theme of this year’s fair which is, “Where 250 years of stories come together.” The last few years, the covers have been designed by Big Horn County students.  Cover designs should be emailed to fair@bighorncountywy.gov.   

Haley noted she has been working on the rules portion of the book. With the Dress a Pet contest returning to the fair, Haley suggested a “pet policy” be added to include more than dogs. The pets will be allowed on the grounds only during contests and/or shows, like the cat show. The board also discussed adding a smoking policy in the book. 

  The board is firm on entry deadlines and that each participant will be treated the same. Haley said that there is a soft entry date. If someone enters after that, there will be a charge. That will be followed by a hard deadline, where no further entries will be accepted at all. She noted, “There is a difference between correcting an entry versus trying to add a new entry. I think we need to decide if we are going to do that or not. If we have a policy, then we are going to stick with it. You can’t pick and choose who is paying the fee or who’s not paying the fee. If you are going to take the entry or not. If we are going to have it, we’re going to have to follow it.” 

The board voted for the following:  Entries open June 1, due July 6. Entries after July 6 are subject to a $20 late fee per exhibitor. No entries will be accepted after July 17. 

Both Dewey and VanderPloeg discussed that sometimes individuals may want to enter zucchini or tomatoes, but won’t know if they have any until after the deadline. It was suggested a person enter anyway in anticipation of having a crop. There is no penalty for scratching an entry.   

Also discussed were the dedication pages in the fair book. After discussion, the board decided on Dick Gifford, Jamie Dalin and John Haley Sr.  The rodeo will be in memory of Casey Good. The Breeders Cup will be in honor of Mary Lou Perkins. 

The board is planning a work session to work further on the book. 

FAIR COORDINATOR REPORT 

The fair royalty contest will be May 30 at 1 p.m. Miller had suggestions to add to fair for the following years including a fish catch and zucchini carving. A pumpkin drop for a fall festival was discussed. 

Miller reported that 12 sponsorships have come in from the letters that were sent out. She plans to seek sponsorships in person next week. Zeller asked about if there was going to be a table setting contest this year. There was some discussion on if the table themes should reflect the fair theme or if people should pick their own theme. 

FOOD TRUCKS 

There was a discussion on pricing and guidelines for food trucks. Some of that discussion was if food trucks should be located in the midway or grandstands, if food trucks can come for just one day and if pricing for location is different.