BROKEN BOW, Neb. – With the county fair a little more than a month away, the Custer County Ag Society met for a regular board meeting on the fairgrounds on Thursday night with a full agenda. Steve Horn was the lone absence.
Demolition Derby
The demolition derby being held at the Custer County Fairgrounds is just over a week away, to be held on Saturday the 21st. Close to $15,000 in sponsorships have been gathered and less than $1,000 in additional dollars are needed to cover costs for the event.
Cars will begin check-in at 1 PM the day of the event, with gates opening at 4 PM. The derby is slated to start at 5 PM. Various food options, treats, water, beer, and even root beer floats are expected to be available for purchase by attendees.
Fair and Fairground Business
Board member Mark Cardoza and his wife Kelly will be taking the reigns on the organizing of open class entries at the fair this year. The two have been working with LaVonne McGraw, who has managed the entries for more than 35 years, to learn the ropes.
A junior prom group will be running the grandstands concession stand for multiple days at the fair this year. A donut and coffee truck is expected to return to the grounds during fair this year. A few schools have expressed interest in possibly running the Chuck Wagon stand during fair but nothing has been decided.
The quote for a new door on barn #6 increased $200 since last visited. The door is expected soon at a cost of $2,855.
A budget for effectively advertising the Custer County Fair and its events was set at $3,000, to be spearheaded by the fair committee.
Deb Haumont came before the board during a public comment period at the end of the meeting and presented a check to the board thanking them for their work on behalf of the 4 Valleys 4H Club.
Checking Account Changes
The board approved the movement toward having three checking accounts for Ag Society items: Business activities, buildings and grounds, and fair. Board President Brian Palmer stated that at the moment there are a lot of different places to put incomes and that having three accounts would greatly simplify things.
Casey Cooksley expressed concern about funds that are specifically given for memorials being lost in the shuffle, stating that they are given with the understanding that they will be used for what they are given for.
Palmer said that the discussion at hand was just to open the three accounts as the end of the fiscal year (June 30) approaches and that no accounts would be closed for now as more discussion on particulars would be needed.
Insurance Renewal
The board spoke with a representative with Jones Insurance during the meeting ahead of an upcoming insurance renewal deadline. They were relieved to hear that premiums were settling out a little bit, especially compared to recent years.
A lengthy discussion ensued, including what could be changed or eliminated to save money. Changes from recent renewals to save money, including the removal of several buildings with steel and concrete ‘bones’, were mentioned. No structures or equipment were pulled from coverage at Thursday’s meeting, as removing them didn’t offer much savings.
The board did elect to add the indoor arena back to coverage, citing a recent valuation that eclipsed $1.5 million dollars. Insurance costs were too high before and frankly unaffordable before, the board said. Now, with rates more affordable and the clear importance of the building, the structure was added back to be covered.
Insurance in the amount of $31,421 plus fees and taxes was approved.
Board Resignation and Appointment
The board accepted the resignation of Blair Ryan, who had informed the board of her resignation about three weeks prior, and thanked her for her time and efforts on the board.
After an executive session that took about ten minutes, the board appointed Shelby Spanel to the vacant board seat.
Sensing that there may be people in the room hoping the appointment was an election process, Palmer reminded everyone that appointments for seats mid-term were made by the board and that three seats would be available as they are every year during general election in November.
Spanel recently relocated back to Custer County where she grew up, with a now growing family. She said she is excited to contribute to the board and the fairgrounds.
“(I want) to figure out the best way to help the community and grow the fairgrounds itself. I know it’s more set up for the equine and showing side of things, but having a more well-balanced, well-rounded event center would probably be the best way I see this place going just because we are centralized in the state and making it more so a spot where everyone wants to go because something everyone likes is coming in, it can help the town itself and not just our area,” said Spanel.
Following Spanel’s appointment, Desirei Cook was approved as executive secretary and Jake Rosentreader was approved as executive treasurer.
Committee Reports
During committee reports, Troy Walz with the Extension office reported that the Youth Quality Assurance event was a great success, attended by over 150 kids.
Mark Cardoza reported on behalf of the grounds committee, describing the cleanup from the building 11 demolition. He said that hookups for electrical and water from the building will be available at the site going forward for food truck use or other use. The building six door is expected to arrive the first week in July and much of the prep work is done including the hanging of the header.
Desirei Cook gave the fair committee report. She said that all 4-H groups had been informed about needing to bring their own wood chips for fair and to scoop them into the aisles at the conclusion of fair. EMTs have been booked for all events going forward through the season. Camper registrations for fair will go live at 5:30 PM on June 25. Mapping of power amperage at each site is being done to be reflected on the map on the website. Representatives from the Elks Club were on site to verify sponsorship of the teen dance at the fairgrounds again this year.
During the executive committee report, it was stated that Lori Lambrecht is helping in the office and that two part-time grounds workers have begun helping out. Karly Mack is helping the Ag Society with social media and similar items on an hourly basis with pay to be determined.
The meeting adjourned at 8:38 PM. One more meeting will take place before fair, on July 10 at 7 PM at the shooting sports building.
