A year ago, events were reluctantly being canceled one after another as the pandemic spread its way across Montana.
Fast forward a year and those same events are going back on the calendar — including the Jefferson County Fair and Rodeo.
“We can’t wait,” said Jefferson County Fair Board Chairperson Terry Minow.
“We can’t wait to get together and celebrate our wonderful community,” she said.
The Fair and Rodeo is scheduled for Aug. 26-29 — more than four months after the COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be made available to everyone who wants it.
Hopefully by then everything will be opened up and the county will be able to offer the full array of fair events starting with the Fun Pianos on Aug. 26, said Minow of the popular fundraiser.
And that will be followed by “a weekend full of horses, competitions, parades and rodeos that promises to bring a sense of normality to Jefferson County.” said Minow.
While the Fair was canceled last year, the Rodeo was held, albeit a scaled down version.
This year, the Rodeo includes barrel racing, an in-county rodeo and the Northern Rodeo Association rodeo, said Rodeo Committee Secretary Brady Nordahl. The Rodeo Committee is also planning a Fourth of July event, she said, adding all plans are pending Health Department approval.
The Jefferson County events calendar is also heating up. There’s the Governor’s Cup race
on June 11 in Jefferson City, along with Montana Mule Days on June 11-3 in Whitehall and Clancy Days on June 12.
The Boulder Fourth of July parade is back on the schedule, as is the Boulder Chamber of Commerce Classic Car Show, scheduled for Aug. 28. It won’t be quite as big as in the past, with a limit of 30 cars.
Add to that Frontier Days in July, Rockin’ The Rivers in August and the Music and Arts Festival in Boulder on Sept. 11 — and the list goes on.
The Chamber-sponsored Farmers Market went on as usual last year and it too will return, beginning July 1.
“We don’t know what level they will be in terms of size, but based on whatever the health rules at that movement, but the plan is to move forward with all our events,” said Jefferson County Events Coordinator Bruce Binkowski.
“They (event organizers) all understand there could be rules that could affect the attendance in some shape or form, but the plan is to move forward,” he said.
Fair
The Jefferson County Fair Board is also looking forward to showing off its building and grounds improvements, said Minow. And depending upon its success with fundraising efforts, a new playground will hopefully be unveiled, she said.
With vaccinations well under way, Minow said the Fair Board is hoping to avoid having to file a health plan..
Another priority is increasing the number of exhibitors, exhibits, vendors and volunteers. The board is considering an online registration system for fair entries as a way to streamline the process. New exhibit categories are another work in progress. Got ideas? Contact the Board through Facebook, attend its monthly meetings by Zoom or call any board member: Terry Minow, Marilyn McCauley, Randi Levin, Leah Lewis, Megan Dawson, Robin Becker and Geno Pacini. The next Fair Board meeting is March 25.
