BROKEN BOW—It has been more than 14 days since the conclusion of the 2020 Custer County Fair and the general consensus of the Ag Society is that it was a success!
Fairgrounds staff, the Ag Society, staff members of the Nebraska Extension Office in Custer County, and countless volunteers worked amid ever-changing conditions and restrictions of the coronavirus to make the fair possible for local youth.
This year’s fair saw approximately 2,843 entries for 4-H events and the results are in! Click here to view: 2020 Custer County Media Results 2 Exported Report
Event organizers were required to submit plans to the Loup Basin Public Health Department (LBPHD) for various events of the county fair and adjust normal conditions to include COVID-19 preventative measures such as social distancing, optional mask wearing, and hand sanitizer.
There have been nine reported cases of COVID-19 in the last week within Custer County according to the LBPHD but it is unclear if any of those cases are related to the county fair or evening entertainment.
During the regularly scheduled board meeting for the Ag Society on Thursday, August 13, board members showed great appreciation to everyone who made the fair possible.
Troy Walz with the Extension Office broke down the numbers of the 4-H and FFA Livestock Auction saying it was a good sale and was only down about $27,000 from last year. Board treasurer Ira Spanel said it is unbelievable how people in the community generously give their time and money to help with the fair.
2019: Approx. $237,000
89 cattle
23 sheep
107 swine
11 goats
2020: $209,939.70
79 cattle
30 sheep
85 swine
10 goats
“Thank you to all of the bidders that come out and support this deal because that number is unbelievable,” Spanel said.
“It was an excellent sale, well supported. And also thank you to the Ag Society for allowing us to have a fair, and having a great fair. I think it was a very good fair,” Troy Walz added.
Board member Steve Horn said he appreciated all of the extra effort people put it to make the fair happen, especially in light of the unknown circumstances surrounding the coronavirus.
“It was almost like there was no coronavirus, if you had taken your mask off,” Horn said jokingly toward Walz. “It just went…I know you did a lot of extra, Michelle [Nelson] did a lot of extra. It was a team effort but it really did come off smooth. It was just fun to be a person again!”
The Ag Society voted on the dates for next year’s fair and approved July 30 through August 5, 2021.
Also on Thursday night, the board voted to switch Internet providers to Great Plains Communications and discussed regaining access to the fairgrounds website which has been down, replacing a tractor tire, and getting some new American flags.
Grounds Manager JJ Martin has been working on some painting and the need for new manure baskets before next year’s fair. He requested five more baskets for about $1,000 each. No decisions were made. Martin also thanked Chris Ogle for his help during the county fair.
A special budget meeting will be held later in August following the County Supervisors’ budget decisions. Ira Spanel said the Ag Society will have to take a hard look at the numbers this year after the fairgrounds had to be closed for a few months due to COVID-19.
The Mid States Rodeo Finals will be held September 18-20 and a separate committee meeting will be held to outline details of the event.
No decisions were made but the board also discussed adding 10 new camper spots using the Winter Ball money that has been set aside for the project and also talked about the possibility of adding a camper sewage dump. There were also concerns expressed with people cleaning out horse trailers in front of camper spots.
The meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m.
