Great Northern Fair Tab 2017

16

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

www.havredailynews.com

2

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

www.havredailynews.com

Brewer takes the helm at Great Northern Fair Alex Ross aeross@havredailynews.com Dave Brewer has spent so much time at the Great Northern Fairgrounds lately he says jokingly that his wife says she thinks he has a girlfriend stashed away up there.

“I said unless it’s a plumbing wrench, a lawn mower or a pipe wrench or something there is no girlfriend up here,” he said.

Brewer was hired in April by the Great Northern Fair Board to be the fairgrounds manager. He replaced Bob Horne, who resigned from the position last fall. Since

15

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

Schedule: 4-H'ers at fair through Sunday ■ Continued from page 14 9 a.m. — Bigger Better Barn concessions open to public 11 a.m. — Chuckwagon opens to public noon — Exhibit buildings open to public 1 p.m. — 4-H Sheep Show Sheep Showmanship Breeding Sheep Show Feeder/Market Sheep Classes 3 p.m. — 4-H Round Robin Competition 3:30 p.m. — 4-H Pinewood Derby Car Event (cement pad in front of 4-H Museum) 7 p.m. — Bigger Better Barn concessions close 9:30 p.m. — Exhibit buildings, Bigger Better Barn, and Beef Barn close 11 p.m. — Chuckwagon closes

Sunday, July 23 8 - 9:30 a.m. — 4-H Appreciation Breakfast sponsored by CHS Big Sky 10 a.m. — Bigger Better Barn concessions open to public 11 a.m. — Chuckwagon opens to public 11:30 a.m. — Buyer Appreciation Lunch at Bigger Better Barn noon — Exhibit buildings open to public 1 p.m. — 4-H Market Sale in Bigger Better Barn 3:30 p.m. — Bigger Better Barn concessions close 4:30 p.m. — Non-animal 4-H exhibits may be removed from the exhibit buildings

Havre Daily News/File photo Right: Ashleigh Barrett smiles after her interview July 19, 2016, at the Havre Middle School at the Hill County 4-H interviews during the 2016 Great Northern Fair.

Havre Daily News/Floyd Brandt Great Northern Fairgrounds manager Dave Brewer listens June 30 during an interview at the fairgrounds. Brewer was working this spring and early summer to prepare the fairgrounds for his first Great Northern Fair as manager.

www.havredailynews.com

14

2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

July 2017

www.havredailynews.com

2017 4-H FAIR SCHEDULE

Tuesday, July 18 9 a.m. to noon — Interview judging Wednesday, July 19 10 a.m. — 4-H Horse Show 11 a.m. — Bigger Better Barn concessions open to public 1 p.m. — 4-H exhibit buildings open 4 p.m. — Chuckwagon opens to public 5:30 p.m. — Bigger Better Barn concessions close 6 p.m. — 4-H exhibit buildings close 11 p.m. — Chuckwagon closes Thursday, July 20 7 - 9:30 a.m. — Market Animal weigh scale open 11 a.m. — Chuckwagon and Bigger Better Barn concessions open to public noon — Exhibit buildings open to public 2 p.m. — 4-H Small Animal Show Cat Showmanship and judging Rabbit Showmanship and judging Poultry Showmanship and

judging Rabbit Agility Event 7:30 p.m. — Bigger Better Barn concessions close 9:30 p.m. — Exhibit buildings, Bigger Better Barn, and Beef Barn close 11 p.m. — Chuckwagon closes Friday, July 21 9 a.m. — Bigger Better Barn Concessions open to public 9 a.m. — 4-H Beef Show Beef Showmanship Breeding Beef Show Feeder/Market Beef Classes 11 a.m. — Chuckwagon opens to public noon — Exhibit buildings open to public 7:30 p.m. — Bigger Better Barn concessions close 9:30 p.m. — Exhibit buildings, Bigger Better Barn, and Beef Barn close 11 p.m. — Chuckwagon closes

Saturday, July 22 8 a.m. — 4-H Swine Show Swine Showmanship Swine Feeder/Market Classes

■ See Schedule Page 15

Bob Sivertsen auctions off Loy Waid’s pig July 24, 2016, during the 4-H Market Sale at the Great Northern Fair.

3

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

www.havredailynews.com

Brewer: ‘I have always just poured myself into whatever job I’ve taken’ ■ Continued from page 2 starting, he has spent much time tending to the grounds and familiarizing himself with the duties of the job. He said he recently worked 46 hours within the span of four days — the fairgrounds manager is meant to be a 30 hours-a-week position.

“I have always just poured myself into whatever job I’ve taken,” he said.

Part of that job includes preparing the grounds for this month’s annual Great Northern Fair.

Brewer, along with his wife, City Council member Denise Brewer, has lived in Havre since the late 1980s. He has a Bachelor of Science in business and a varied resume that includes managing stores and an apartment building, construction, working for BNSF and working for 11.5 years at concession stands in fairs throughout Montana and Washington.

Part of Brewer’s work has been preparing the grounds for this year’s fair. He said that has included putting water on the arena in the Bigger Better Barn to reduce the amount of dust that rises, mowing and weeding, and filling in gopher holes in the fairgrounds parking lot, among other things.

This year’s fair arena entertainment will kick off Wednesday, July 18, with the Junior Rodeo, organized by the Hi-Line Rodeo Association. Thursday evening will be a rodeo, followed by bull riding Friday evening and a tractor-truck pull Saturday. The Jaycees will round out the fair Sunday with their annual demolition derby.

Brewer said this year’s free entertainment will be inflatable play toys and a kid’s zipline provided by The Inflatable Fun Zone, a Bozeman company.

Like last year, the carnival will be provided by Dreamland Amusements, a carnival out of Billings. The carnival’s owner, Riley Cook, said 15 to 17 rides will be at the fair this year.

As always, the fair will also have concession stands mostly operated by civic groups. Hill County 4-H will also have its exhibits and serve refreshments, and a club is hosting a pinewood derby at the 4-H Museum Saturday during the fair.

This year will be Brewer’s first as manager and he said he knows the stakes are high.

In recent years, the crowds have become smaller. That trend is discouraging for the grounds which relies on the fair for most of its funding.

Brewer was not yet manager when the

Havre Daily News/File photo Cooper Lineweaver, 20-months-old, eats a Pronto Pup July 21, 2016, while attending the 2016 Great Northern Fair with his mother, Autumn Lineweaver. bulk of the planning was done and much of what is normally done by the manager was done by the fair board.

He said he hopes the fair is successful.

“It’s only four days and this is our big money maker,” he said. “We need to start winning again, so hopefully people come to all the events that are planned.”

The county kicks in about $5,600 annually to the fairgrounds, which, Brewer said, is only enough to pay for about two months of the grounds’ utility bills. Other sources include money from horse stall rentals in the horse

■ See Brewer Page 4

4

2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

July 2017

Brewer: Jumphead text ■ Continued from page 3 barn, camping fees, money from people who pay to store items in the facilities during winter months and money for events conducted on the grounds such as weddings, the annual Everything Antique show or the Hi-Line Cruz’n Association’s annual Rod Run. Brewer said much of the crowd that now attends the fair are either small children or senior citizens. He said more must be done to reach out to older youth and to adults.

“We have to figure out how to get caught up to the youth of today, because we are missing it,” he said.

Part of the problem could be that the rides no longer appeal to older youth, Brewer said, but he doesn’t think that is so. The fair needs to find a way to offer people an experience, he said, adding that the popularity of interactive video games where players compete against one another could offer a clue about how to attract youth.

He said the fair could set a space for an activity where participants could compete against each other.

Brewer said the activities at the fair such as the rodeo and demolition derby are aimed at specific groups of people when what is needed are events and entertainment that have broader appeal.

He said people he has talked to want to see a concert or some type of live music.

“I have had a lot of people come up to me and say, ‘who is the entertainer this year?’

And I am like, ‘there isn’t one,’” Brewer said.

A musical act has the potential to draw a larger, more diverse crowd, which would not only bring a boost in revenue to the fair, but make it a more attractive prospect for future acts and vendors, he said.

The fair has had music acts, but they have tended to not meet expectations recently. The 2015 fair booked country musician Holly Williams, but few people attended.

Brewer said the right act could bring in a large crowd. He said such an act would not have to be a big-name entertainer, but could be a smaller group or a tribute band.

13

www.havredailynews.com

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

www.havredailynews.com

4-H pinewood derby is set at the fair Alex Ross aeross@havredailynews.com

The Great Northern Fair is having a

new kind of race this year.

The Hill County Chirping Meadowlark

4-H Club is hosting a pinewood derby at the 4-H Museum, starting at 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 22.

The race is open to adults and children in Hill County including non-4-H members. A basic kit was available for $5 from Hill County 4-H or people can build

a car on their own.

A project workshop day was set at Pepin Park Sunday to help anyone interested in entering a car in the race.

The race has four divisions: Cloverbuds, ages 5 through 7; juniors, 8 through 13; senior, ages 14 through 19;

and alumni or leaders ages 19 and older.

Cars will also be judged based on

appearance in each division. Cars will be weighed and displayed Wednesday, July 19, from noon until 6 p.m. at the 4-H Exhibit building.

Truck pull back at Great Northern Fair Paul Dragu pdragu@havredailynews.com After four years without a truck pull, the event is back and will premiere, again, Saturday, July 22, at the Great Northern Fair at 7 p.m.

Tickets will cost $15, with children 8 and under get in free.

“We just kind of decided to look

around to find something different. For the past two years, we’ve had that open day of things,” Fair Board Member Shelby Gooch said of the decision to bring the truck pull back. “So when the Havre Jaycees went back to doing their demolition derby on Sunday, we needed to fill Saturday.

“So we thought we’d bring back a truck pull. A lot of people love the truck

pull,” she said.

The objective of the truck pull is to drag a weight-filled sled all the way down a 300-foot-long field, without coming apart. The sled, owned by event coorganizer Bill Mangold, is basically a trailer with a box filled with iron weights, he said.

The amount of weight on the trailer will depend in which of the three classes

— its towing capabilities — the pickups belong to. The weight will be plenty, though, and it will prove so burdensome for some vehicles it will inevitably dismember them, Mangold said.

“Whatever the weakest link at that time, they will break,” he said.

Organizers anticipate between 18 and 20 participants.

Fair food: Long list of vendors serving food at the fair ■ Continued from page 12

Havre Daily News/File photo People go through the carnival at the 2016 Great Northern Fair.

Vendors and merchants seeking to sell merchandise or promote are another hallmark of the fair. They are scattered throughout the grounds, but most are concentrated in and around the Commercial Building.

This year, some vendors are not returning.

■ See Brewer Page 7

cream soda, sun tea and water, she said.

But not all businesses travel to provide mobile concession services.

Hi-Line Dance will have booth selling fried pickles, tacos-in-a-bag and fried tacos, studio owner Catalina Carlton said.

Money earned at the concession stand, Carlton said, are put toward a boosterclub-type fund.

“Not everyone can afford shoes, travel and supplies,” she said, so the money is used to help kids in the dance troupe be able to afford those things, along with helping them to travel to Pearl Harbor every other year to perform in annual

honor ceremonies.

While at Pearl Harbor this year, the dancers will get to work with a worldclass choreographer, as they do on years when they march in one of the major bowl parades, such as the year they got to work for a few days with singer/performer Mandy Moore.

“It’s a great opportunity for the (local dancers),” she said, adding that her work with the kids is a “passion of my heart.”

Concession stands will be open noon to at least 11 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to no later than 8 p.m.

Sunday.

Other booths with fair concessions will

be sponsored by MSU-Northern BPA, C&C Concessions, Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line, Citrus Cyclones, Mom’s and

Pop’s Kettlecorn, Optimist Club, Glacier Shaved Ice, Solomon Shaved Ice, MSUNorthern Football and Havre Softball.

12

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

www.havredailynews.com

5

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

www.havredailynews.com

Fair food concessions: food, fun and fundraising Demo Derby rolls in with a new twist this year Pam Burke community@havredailynews.com

One of the mainstay attractions at any fair is the variety of vendors to fulfill that fair-food hunger, and the 2017 Great Northern Fair will offer a selection of 16 vendors making traditional treats and new offerings.

Many of the locally sponsored booths are used as fundraisers for activities throughout the year.

Steve Jamruszka said the Havre Lions Club will be cooking up the perennial favorite Pronto Pups with toppings, fries — both regular and cheesy — and drinks.

Every year club members, some of their family and a few extra volunteers come together to staff the concession s t a n d . B e c a u s e o f t h e i r e f f o r t s, Jamruszka said, the club can help support Lions initiatives including community projects, scholarships and youth activities locally as well as the Montana Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation.

Along with the long-time favorite pork chop sandwiches with grilled onions, the Havre Jaycees will be serving the Jaycee dog, regular hotdogs and Pizza Hut pizza, said Trisha Hellems.

All the money raised stays local, Hellems said, helping the club to support the Haunted Hotel Oakland, the Angel Tree, Koats for Kids and needs of other organizations. They’ve been doing this for close to 40 years, she added.

Another local organization, Havre Youth Baseball, will be running the Beer Garden again this year. Because the youth cannot sell or serve alcohol, Kelly Compton said, parents, family and other baseball supporters volunteer to work shifts throughout the fair.

“There’s a little bit of work that goes into it,” Compton said.

Volunteers all have to sign on early and attend training, which came in April this year, she said, to legally sell and serve the beer. Any late-volunteers are given other tasks like applying wrist bands, she said.

The organization lets other vendors sell food in the Beer Garden, benefiting those vendors and the customers as well,

Paul Dragu pdragu@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News/File photo Kenzie Kallenberger buys a caramel apple from Kallie Meyerhoff at C and C Concessions July 20, 2016, during the 2016 Great Northern Fair

she said.

Some concession vendor,s like The Rollin Donut, come the fair to earn a living. Don and Nadine Nafts, like most of the commercial concessionaire’s, travel a circuit attending events like the fair to make money.

“July is our busiest month,” Nadine Nafts said, with every weekend booked throughout the month.

Along with the mini cake doughnuts which come with a variety of toppings, the Nafts sell hot and iced coffee, Italian

■ See Fair food Page 13

T h i s ye a r ’s H av re J ayc e e s Demolition Derby at the Great Northern Fair comes with a new addition — a soccer derby — and a subtraction, the bump ‘n run.

Trisha Hellems of the Jaycees said the idea was to add a twist to this year’s derby, so they replaced the bump ’n’ run with the soccer derby.

She said when they talked about the change, the organizers said, “Yeah, let’s go for it — it’s something different.”

The demo derby is the grand finale of a long weekend of fair events. It will begin Sunday at 5 p.m. Tickets are $15 each and $5 for kids 12 and younger.

Drivers will compete in multiple heats, smashing into each other and growling and slinging mud all over the place. The soccer derby will be in between all that action.

The soccer derby will be played by two teams, four cars each — smaller cars than those in the derby — that will compete to bounce or roll a six-foot inflatable ball into the other’s goals. The goals will be the buckets of the excavators that will sit on opposite sides.

Hellems said they anticipate about 20 cars to register for the demo derby. The top three competitors will win cash prizes. The amount of the cash prizes will depend on how many people register in the derby.

In addition to heats comprising roaring, crashing welded demo cars, there will also be a chain ’n go heat, a take back to the days when demo cars were held together by chains instead of welded.

Havre Daily News/File photo Drivers compete July 23, 2016, in the Jaycee Demolition Derby during the 2016 Great Northern Fair. This year’s derby is set to run in the arena Sunday, July 23, starting at 5 p.m.

6

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

www.havredailynews.com

4-H ready to go at the Great Northern Fair Pam Burke community@havredailynews.com Youth in Hill County 4-H clubs will participate in their annual ritual combining competition, work and fun at the Great Northern Fair.

Work begins the Sunday before the fair, when 4-H members, leaders, family and other volunteers get together to setup the barns and 4-H buildings for all their fair activities.

Then, Tuesday, they fulfill their other pre-fair activity — participating in their interview judging. Each member will speak to an adjudicator about their projects, receiving ribbons for their interview placings. Ribbons will also be awarded for any projects, like woodworking or cooking, that aren’t demonstrated at the fair. Any props or projects used in their presentations will be on display in the 4-H Exhibit Building during the fair.

As the Great Northern Fair starts Wednesday, so, too, does the bulk of the annual competition, and the youths’ work duties. The horse show will begin at 10 a.m., then crews will work to get the final setup in the Bigger Better Barn to house other animal projects. Thursday will see the market animal weigh-in start at 7 a.m. and the small animal show at 2 p.m.

Friday, the beef show begins at 9 a.m. and, Saturday, the 4-H Swine Show at 8 a.m., the Sheep Show at 1 p.m. and Round Robin at 3 p.m.

S u n d ay w i l l b e g i n w i t h t h e a n n u a l 4 - H Appreciation Breakfast at 8 a.m. and continue with the Buyer Appreciation Lunch at noon and the 4-H Market Sale at 1 p.m.

Along with keeping their barn area and their livestock clean and tidy, 4-H members help run the Chuckwagon, the barn concession stand, the competition organization and the exhibit build-

ings, said Amanda Powell, administrative assistant at MSU Hill County Extension.

New this year for Hill County 4-H will be a Pinewood Derby Car Race in front of the 4-H Museum starting at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Also new is that one Hill County 4-H member will be competing in Chinook this year. Once again, only one person is signed up for a dog project. For about three years, this member has given a demonstration, but with the move to Blaine County Fair this year that 4-H member will be competing against her peers, Powell said.

This will be the second year that Hill County 4-H is doing without a Teen and Queen. The county 4-H is now following the national rule to move to an ambassador program. Members applied for, and three — two girls and one boy — received ambassador status. Last year’s ambassadors didn’t get the opportunity to fully participate in the process after the 4-H extension agent quit last year.

“We, of course, want to encourage our county kids to get involved and apply for some of those state officer jobs, so then they get all that experience of being a great leader across the state,” Powell said. “The potential is there if we’ve got the kids that’ll do the work.”

Another second-year activity is the continuation of the mini market beef project, with two members showing miniature-size steers in a market beef class. The project debuted in 2016 and proved to be popular with the 4-H members and with bidders at the Market Auction, so it looks like the mini-beef project is here to stay as long as kids want to participate in it, Powell said.

This is the final year for the old Chuckwagon building. It is scheduled for demolition right after the fair and construction on the new building will begin as soon as possible after that.

Courtesy photo Cassie Gibson poses for a photograph with one of her ribbons she earned in the 4-H horse competition at the 2016 Great Northern Fair. Gibson competed in Ranch Horse level 1 and a Western Horsemanship Level 1.

11

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

www.havredailynews.com

Junior Rodeo kicks off Great Northern Fair arena entertainment Alex Ross aeross@havredailynews.com The Great Northern Fair will kick off the first of four nights of entertainment Wednesday, July 19, at 5 p.m. in the fairgrounds arena with the annual Junior Rodeo.

The rodeo has been a longstanding tradition in Hill County, but this is the sixth year the Hi-Line Rodeo Association, a group of area youth ages 12 to 18, have organized it, Ruby Hould, the group’s advisor, said.

Interested youth had to register to enter.

No late entrants will be accepted, Hould said.

Rodeo activities will include barrel racing, sheep riding and steer tying, among others. Activities will differ based on age.

Competitors will be divided into six groups, ages 4-6, 4-8, 9-13, 13-16, 14-18 and 8-18.

Youngsters in the 4-6 age category can enter a sheep riding contest for $10 or a boot race for $5.

Contestants in the age 4-8 group will pay $12 per activity to enter contests in barrel racing, pole bending, goat untying or flag race.

Youth in the age 9-13 category can enter barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, breakaway roping and steer riding at a cost of $15. Youth ages 14-18 will pay $15 for the same activities as well as calf tying.

Contestants ages 13-16 can take part in a chute dogging contest, while the 8-18 group can compete in team roping and a relay contest.

First-place winners will receive belt buckles. Youth who finish second will also receive a prize, Hould said.

All competitors must be at the fairgrounds arena between 2:30 and 4:45 p.m. with a parent or guardian to sign a release to take part in any of the contests, Hould said.

The rodeo begins at 5 p.m.

Havre Daily News/File photo Daniel Fraser leads the boot race July 20; 2016; during the Junior Rodeo at the Great Northern Fair. The Junior Rodeo is the first arena even at this year’s fair.

10

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

2017 Great Northern Fair schedule of events

See a full 4-H schedule on pages 14-15

5 to 8 p.m

Monday, July 17

• Open class entries

Tuesday, July 18

8 a.m. to 7 p. m.

• Open class entries

9 a.m.

• 4-H interview evaluation

Wednesday, July 19

Carnival opens today 10 a.m.

• 4-H Horse show Noon • Food booths open • Commercial building open • Open class exhibits open 5 p.m.

• Arena entertainment — Junior Rodeo

Thursday, July 20

7 to 9:30 a.m.

• 4-H market animal weigh-in 10 a.m.

• Great Northern Ram Open Rodeo slack Noon • Food booths open • Commercial building open • Open class exhibits open 2 p.m.

• 4-H Small animal show — Cat, reabbit, poultry 7 p.m.

• Arena entertainment — Great Northern Fair Ram Open Rodeo 9 p.m.

• Commercial building closes • Bigger Better Barn closes • Beef and Horse barns close • Open class exhibits close

Friday, July 21

9 a.m.

• 4-H Beef show

Noon

• Food booths open

• Commercial building open • Open class exhibits open 6:30 p.m.

• Longhorn stampede in arena 7 p.m.

Arena entertainment — Cody Four Colors Bull Riding 9 p.m.

• Commercial building closes • Bigger Better Barn closes • Beef and Horse barns close • Open class exhibits close

Saturday, July 22

9 a.m.

• 4-H Swine show Noon • Food booths open • Commercial building open • Open class exhibits open • Premium money available for open class exhibits 1 p.m.

• 4-H Sheep show 3 p.m.

• 4-H Round robin showmanship 3:30 p.m.

• 4-H pinewood derby 7 p.m.

• Arena entertainment — Truck pull 9 p.m.

• Commercial building closes • Bigger Better Barn closes • Beef and Horse barns close • Open class exhibits close

Sunday, July 23

Noon • Food booths open • Open class exhibits open 1 p.m.

• Premium money available for 4-H exhibits at fair office • 4-H Market sale 4:30 p.m.

• Exhibit removal 5 p.m.

• Exhibit buildings close • Arena entertainment — Jaycee demolition derby

www.havredailynews.com

Local work displayed, judged at Great Northern Fair Pam Burke community@havredailynews.com Open exhibits will be judged and displayed in the Community Building again this year.

Mary Saboe, organizer for the open exhibits which allow the public to enter their handiwork for the competition, said the competitions will have both youth and adult divisions, as well as professional and amateur.

The youth entry form includes the child’s age so each entry will be judged against those from entries in the same age group.

“That way you don’t have a 5-year-old’s work being compared to a 15-year-old’s,” she said.

Pe o p l e c a n b r i n g i n t h e i r e n t r i e s Monday, July 17, from 5 to 8 p.m. and Tuesday, July 18, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Judging starts at 8 a.m. Wednesday and is usually done by about noon, then the doors are opened to the public, she said.

“I’ve got some good judges. They’re fair and they’re willing if somebody has a question and wants it answered ... they’ll answer the question for them,” she said.

The categories are the same as the past three years, she said, including culi-

nary arts, such as homemade bread, desserts and canned goods; home arts, such as clothes, quilts, afghans and wall-hangings; arts-crafts-photography, including all art media, beadwork, leather craft, and color and black/white photos; floricult u re, i n c l u d i n g f l owe rs a n d a r t i s t i c arrangements; and agriculture-horticulture, including samples of crops, fruits, vegetables and herbs.

People are allowed multiple entries in each class, and premiums are paid for first and second place. Sometimes teachers will enter artwork and crafts from the students in their class the previous year, Saboe said, and those are up for display only. Plaques are given to best-in-show entries which are displayed at the center of the building.

B e c a u s e t h e c a t e go r i e s h ave n o t changed in the past few years, no premium books have been printed, Saboe said.

But people can find an online version at https://issuu.com/montanagrafix/docs/ fair_book_2015 or call fair secretary Linda Ferguson at 265-7121 for copies of the needed pages.

The building will be open to the public n o o n to 9 p . m . We d n e s d ay t h ro u g h Saturday and noon to about 8 p.m. Sunday.

7

2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

July 2017

www.havredailynews.com

Brewer: Jumphead text ■ Continued from page 4 The board reduced the fee charged to people using the center of the Commercial Building, but in early July had few takers.

Brewer, who spent 11 years working as a vendor and at concession stands at fairs throughout Montana and Washington, said he doesn’t think the fee to set up a table is what is driving vendors away. He said it is likely the reduced foot traffic that makes vendors feel the payoff of having a presence at the fair is no longer worth the effort and that the center bay is so hot.

Brewer said some fans should be set up to make the center bay feel cooler. He suggested putting a concession stand in there, using the area as a place where people can escape the heart and relax in a quieter environment. He has also suggested setting up using the center bay for an ongoing game of bingo.

The board has made one adjustment to make things easier for vendors: not requiring them to remain at the fair on Sundays when the fair has largely wound down, Brewer said.

The agreement will help vendors, who Brewer said often need the time to travel to the next fair.

Since taking his new post, Brewer has upped the online presence of the fairgrounds by setting up a Facebook page for the Great Northern Fair. He said the new page will allow people to better communicate with the public. It’s already paying off, he said. Brewer said he had posted on the page one morning that he was looking to hire some employees, and before the day was done, the post received 600 views, six or seven shares and two phone calls from candidates interested in a position.

“So it works and the same thing with our webpage that is up and running,” Brewer said.

A new fairgrounds website was launched shortly after Brewer was hired. Http://www. greatnorthernfair.net features a calendar of events scheduled to be held at the fairgrounds, information about the different buildings and fair board meeting minutes.

Brewer said his transition has not been entirely smooth.

“There have been some issues,” he said.”

Let’s just say there have been a couple times where it has been hard to talk and get people to understand that, look, there is a manager here now and we need to work with the manager,” he said.

Brewer said he needs people to start notifying him by calling the fairgrounds or communicating through the Facebook page to say when they will come up to the fairgrounds to do an activity. At the moment, people just show up, he said, and that could create prob-

Trevor McAllister rides July 21, 2016, during the Ram Rodeo at the 2016 Great Northern Fair. lems with groups already there.

“I am kind of a rules guy. If this is what the rules are, I can’t be real flexible right off the bat because I have to get control,” he said.

But in his new position there is a learning curve, he said.

Brewer said one example is that he has learned that when people have an event at the fairgrounds, they want to have their own key to a facility. He said, before, he thought just by being present at the fairgrounds he could unlock the doors for people and did not understand why they would need a key. He said he

has generally felt uneasy about giving people a key, but he knows he has to become accustomed to doing it.

One of Brewer’s goals is to improve the appearance of the fairgrounds.

“I am trying to get it so it looks good and people want to come here and they realize we are actually trying,” he said.

Brewer added that overgrown trees and

Havre Daily News/Teresa Getten

brush have to be cleaned up and recently he mowed the grass along the fence line on U.S. Highway 2. He said by making the fairgrounds look better, it could be a first step in drawing people to them.

“That is my feeling, if we can get this place spruced back up and get it looking like someplace where you want to go, they will come,” he said.

8

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

www.havredailynews.com

Rodeo, bull riding set for fair

Paul Dragu pdragu@havredailynews.com

A Great Northern Longhorn Stampede

stage for ranch bronc riding, steer wres-

will precede both nights of this year’s

tling, team roping, tie-down roping, barrel

rodeo and bull riding events at the Great

racing and ladies’ breakaway roping

Northern Fair.

Thursday, and an action-packed bull riding

A herd of steers will rumble into the

arena before Thursday and Friday evenings’ events, at 6:30 p.m., setting the

Havre Daily News/File photo Miss Great Northern Rodeo 2016 Kylie Mikuski rides around the arena July 21, 2016, during the rodeo at the Great Northern Fair.

9

2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

July 2017

event Friday.

A new addition to this year’s rodeo is two days, instead of one, of barrel racing. The event will happen Thursday evening and Friday at 10 a.m.

The reason for two days of barrel racing, event rodeo co-organizer Clint Solomon said, is to have more going on at that time of the day and give people something to enjoy.

“It’s a real good deal,” Solomon said.

Solomon said between 35 and 40 bull riders will compete in the Cody Four Colors Bull Riding event Friday night.

“We’re going to have better competition with people and bulls from everywhere,” Solomon said, adding there will be riders from Canada, Australia, Brazil and, of course, the U.S. There will be thousands in cash prizes awarded to riders, as well as black powder pistols.

The entry fee for each night will be $10 each.

The bull Riding commemorates bull rider Cody Four Colors of Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, who died Dec. 27, 2015, at 25.

Cody’s brother, Justin, said his brother was a proud member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe.

He was raised on the reservation and worked his way to the PRCA and PBR level.

“During his short life he lived out his dreams and worked hard to achieve them.

The family of Cody and the Great Northern rodeo committee worked together to make this bull riding a reality,” Justin Four Colors said.

Havre Daily News/File photo Browning's Robert Wagner, a former Montana State University-Northern rodeo star, competes July 21, 2016, in the saddle bronc event during the Great Northern Ram Rodeo at the Great Northern Fair.

er n et t n I r e t s Try F a mazon A n a e v i & Rece Philips & t o D o h Ec g Kit * n i t h g i L Hue *Offer applies to 12Mbps or higher.

1.800.332.1201 | itstriangle.com

www.havredailynews.com

8

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

www.havredailynews.com

Rodeo, bull riding set for fair

Paul Dragu pdragu@havredailynews.com

A Great Northern Longhorn Stampede

stage for ranch bronc riding, steer wres-

will precede both nights of this year’s

tling, team roping, tie-down roping, barrel

rodeo and bull riding events at the Great

racing and ladies’ breakaway roping

Northern Fair.

Thursday, and an action-packed bull riding

A herd of steers will rumble into the

arena before Thursday and Friday evenings’ events, at 6:30 p.m., setting the

Havre Daily News/File photo Miss Great Northern Rodeo 2016 Kylie Mikuski rides around the arena July 21, 2016, during the rodeo at the Great Northern Fair.

9

2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

July 2017

event Friday.

A new addition to this year’s rodeo is two days, instead of one, of barrel racing. The event will happen Thursday evening and Friday at 10 a.m.

The reason for two days of barrel racing, event rodeo co-organizer Clint Solomon said, is to have more going on at that time of the day and give people something to enjoy.

“It’s a real good deal,” Solomon said.

Solomon said between 35 and 40 bull riders will compete in the Cody Four Colors Bull Riding event Friday night.

“We’re going to have better competition with people and bulls from everywhere,” Solomon said, adding there will be riders from Canada, Australia, Brazil and, of course, the U.S. There will be thousands in cash prizes awarded to riders, as well as black powder pistols.

The entry fee for each night will be $10 each.

The bull Riding commemorates bull rider Cody Four Colors of Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, who died Dec. 27, 2015, at 25.

Cody’s brother, Justin, said his brother was a proud member of the Chippewa Cree Tribe.

He was raised on the reservation and worked his way to the PRCA and PBR level.

“During his short life he lived out his dreams and worked hard to achieve them.

The family of Cody and the Great Northern rodeo committee worked together to make this bull riding a reality,” Justin Four Colors said.

Havre Daily News/File photo Browning's Robert Wagner, a former Montana State University-Northern rodeo star, competes July 21, 2016, in the saddle bronc event during the Great Northern Ram Rodeo at the Great Northern Fair.

er n et t n I r e t s Try F a mazon A n a e v i & Rece Philips & t o D o h Ec g Kit * n i t h g i L Hue *Offer applies to 12Mbps or higher.

1.800.332.1201 | itstriangle.com

www.havredailynews.com

10

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

2017 Great Northern Fair schedule of events

See a full 4-H schedule on pages 14-15

5 to 8 p.m

Monday, July 17

• Open class entries

Tuesday, July 18

8 a.m. to 7 p. m.

• Open class entries

9 a.m.

• 4-H interview evaluation

Wednesday, July 19

Carnival opens today 10 a.m.

• 4-H Horse show Noon • Food booths open • Commercial building open • Open class exhibits open 5 p.m.

• Arena entertainment — Junior Rodeo

Thursday, July 20

7 to 9:30 a.m.

• 4-H market animal weigh-in 10 a.m.

• Great Northern Ram Open Rodeo slack Noon • Food booths open • Commercial building open • Open class exhibits open 2 p.m.

• 4-H Small animal show — Cat, reabbit, poultry 7 p.m.

• Arena entertainment — Great Northern Fair Ram Open Rodeo 9 p.m.

• Commercial building closes • Bigger Better Barn closes • Beef and Horse barns close • Open class exhibits close

Friday, July 21

9 a.m.

• 4-H Beef show

Noon

• Food booths open

• Commercial building open • Open class exhibits open 6:30 p.m.

• Longhorn stampede in arena 7 p.m.

Arena entertainment — Cody Four Colors Bull Riding 9 p.m.

• Commercial building closes • Bigger Better Barn closes • Beef and Horse barns close • Open class exhibits close

Saturday, July 22

9 a.m.

• 4-H Swine show Noon • Food booths open • Commercial building open • Open class exhibits open • Premium money available for open class exhibits 1 p.m.

• 4-H Sheep show 3 p.m.

• 4-H Round robin showmanship 3:30 p.m.

• 4-H pinewood derby 7 p.m.

• Arena entertainment — Truck pull 9 p.m.

• Commercial building closes • Bigger Better Barn closes • Beef and Horse barns close • Open class exhibits close

Sunday, July 23

Noon • Food booths open • Open class exhibits open 1 p.m.

• Premium money available for 4-H exhibits at fair office • 4-H Market sale 4:30 p.m.

• Exhibit removal 5 p.m.

• Exhibit buildings close • Arena entertainment — Jaycee demolition derby

www.havredailynews.com

Local work displayed, judged at Great Northern Fair Pam Burke community@havredailynews.com Open exhibits will be judged and displayed in the Community Building again this year.

Mary Saboe, organizer for the open exhibits which allow the public to enter their handiwork for the competition, said the competitions will have both youth and adult divisions, as well as professional and amateur.

The youth entry form includes the child’s age so each entry will be judged against those from entries in the same age group.

“That way you don’t have a 5-year-old’s work being compared to a 15-year-old’s,” she said.

Pe o p l e c a n b r i n g i n t h e i r e n t r i e s Monday, July 17, from 5 to 8 p.m. and Tuesday, July 18, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Judging starts at 8 a.m. Wednesday and is usually done by about noon, then the doors are opened to the public, she said.

“I’ve got some good judges. They’re fair and they’re willing if somebody has a question and wants it answered ... they’ll answer the question for them,” she said.

The categories are the same as the past three years, she said, including culi-

nary arts, such as homemade bread, desserts and canned goods; home arts, such as clothes, quilts, afghans and wall-hangings; arts-crafts-photography, including all art media, beadwork, leather craft, and color and black/white photos; floricult u re, i n c l u d i n g f l owe rs a n d a r t i s t i c arrangements; and agriculture-horticulture, including samples of crops, fruits, vegetables and herbs.

People are allowed multiple entries in each class, and premiums are paid for first and second place. Sometimes teachers will enter artwork and crafts from the students in their class the previous year, Saboe said, and those are up for display only. Plaques are given to best-in-show entries which are displayed at the center of the building.

B e c a u s e t h e c a t e go r i e s h ave n o t changed in the past few years, no premium books have been printed, Saboe said.

But people can find an online version at https://issuu.com/montanagrafix/docs/ fair_book_2015 or call fair secretary Linda Ferguson at 265-7121 for copies of the needed pages.

The building will be open to the public n o o n to 9 p . m . We d n e s d ay t h ro u g h Saturday and noon to about 8 p.m. Sunday.

7

2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

July 2017

www.havredailynews.com

Brewer: Jumphead text ■ Continued from page 4 The board reduced the fee charged to people using the center of the Commercial Building, but in early July had few takers.

Brewer, who spent 11 years working as a vendor and at concession stands at fairs throughout Montana and Washington, said he doesn’t think the fee to set up a table is what is driving vendors away. He said it is likely the reduced foot traffic that makes vendors feel the payoff of having a presence at the fair is no longer worth the effort and that the center bay is so hot.

Brewer said some fans should be set up to make the center bay feel cooler. He suggested putting a concession stand in there, using the area as a place where people can escape the heart and relax in a quieter environment. He has also suggested setting up using the center bay for an ongoing game of bingo.

The board has made one adjustment to make things easier for vendors: not requiring them to remain at the fair on Sundays when the fair has largely wound down, Brewer said.

The agreement will help vendors, who Brewer said often need the time to travel to the next fair.

Since taking his new post, Brewer has upped the online presence of the fairgrounds by setting up a Facebook page for the Great Northern Fair. He said the new page will allow people to better communicate with the public. It’s already paying off, he said. Brewer said he had posted on the page one morning that he was looking to hire some employees, and before the day was done, the post received 600 views, six or seven shares and two phone calls from candidates interested in a position.

“So it works and the same thing with our webpage that is up and running,” Brewer said.

A new fairgrounds website was launched shortly after Brewer was hired. Http://www. greatnorthernfair.net features a calendar of events scheduled to be held at the fairgrounds, information about the different buildings and fair board meeting minutes.

Brewer said his transition has not been entirely smooth.

“There have been some issues,” he said.”

Let’s just say there have been a couple times where it has been hard to talk and get people to understand that, look, there is a manager here now and we need to work with the manager,” he said.

Brewer said he needs people to start notifying him by calling the fairgrounds or communicating through the Facebook page to say when they will come up to the fairgrounds to do an activity. At the moment, people just show up, he said, and that could create prob-

Trevor McAllister rides July 21, 2016, during the Ram Rodeo at the 2016 Great Northern Fair. lems with groups already there.

“I am kind of a rules guy. If this is what the rules are, I can’t be real flexible right off the bat because I have to get control,” he said.

But in his new position there is a learning curve, he said.

Brewer said one example is that he has learned that when people have an event at the fairgrounds, they want to have their own key to a facility. He said, before, he thought just by being present at the fairgrounds he could unlock the doors for people and did not understand why they would need a key. He said he

has generally felt uneasy about giving people a key, but he knows he has to become accustomed to doing it.

One of Brewer’s goals is to improve the appearance of the fairgrounds.

“I am trying to get it so it looks good and people want to come here and they realize we are actually trying,” he said.

Brewer added that overgrown trees and

Havre Daily News/Teresa Getten

brush have to be cleaned up and recently he mowed the grass along the fence line on U.S. Highway 2. He said by making the fairgrounds look better, it could be a first step in drawing people to them.

“That is my feeling, if we can get this place spruced back up and get it looking like someplace where you want to go, they will come,” he said.

6

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

www.havredailynews.com

4-H ready to go at the Great Northern Fair Pam Burke community@havredailynews.com Youth in Hill County 4-H clubs will participate in their annual ritual combining competition, work and fun at the Great Northern Fair.

Work begins the Sunday before the fair, when 4-H members, leaders, family and other volunteers get together to setup the barns and 4-H buildings for all their fair activities.

Then, Tuesday, they fulfill their other pre-fair activity — participating in their interview judging. Each member will speak to an adjudicator about their projects, receiving ribbons for their interview placings. Ribbons will also be awarded for any projects, like woodworking or cooking, that aren’t demonstrated at the fair. Any props or projects used in their presentations will be on display in the 4-H Exhibit Building during the fair.

As the Great Northern Fair starts Wednesday, so, too, does the bulk of the annual competition, and the youths’ work duties. The horse show will begin at 10 a.m., then crews will work to get the final setup in the Bigger Better Barn to house other animal projects. Thursday will see the market animal weigh-in start at 7 a.m. and the small animal show at 2 p.m.

Friday, the beef show begins at 9 a.m. and, Saturday, the 4-H Swine Show at 8 a.m., the Sheep Show at 1 p.m. and Round Robin at 3 p.m.

S u n d ay w i l l b e g i n w i t h t h e a n n u a l 4 - H Appreciation Breakfast at 8 a.m. and continue with the Buyer Appreciation Lunch at noon and the 4-H Market Sale at 1 p.m.

Along with keeping their barn area and their livestock clean and tidy, 4-H members help run the Chuckwagon, the barn concession stand, the competition organization and the exhibit build-

ings, said Amanda Powell, administrative assistant at MSU Hill County Extension.

New this year for Hill County 4-H will be a Pinewood Derby Car Race in front of the 4-H Museum starting at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Also new is that one Hill County 4-H member will be competing in Chinook this year. Once again, only one person is signed up for a dog project. For about three years, this member has given a demonstration, but with the move to Blaine County Fair this year that 4-H member will be competing against her peers, Powell said.

This will be the second year that Hill County 4-H is doing without a Teen and Queen. The county 4-H is now following the national rule to move to an ambassador program. Members applied for, and three — two girls and one boy — received ambassador status. Last year’s ambassadors didn’t get the opportunity to fully participate in the process after the 4-H extension agent quit last year.

“We, of course, want to encourage our county kids to get involved and apply for some of those state officer jobs, so then they get all that experience of being a great leader across the state,” Powell said. “The potential is there if we’ve got the kids that’ll do the work.”

Another second-year activity is the continuation of the mini market beef project, with two members showing miniature-size steers in a market beef class. The project debuted in 2016 and proved to be popular with the 4-H members and with bidders at the Market Auction, so it looks like the mini-beef project is here to stay as long as kids want to participate in it, Powell said.

This is the final year for the old Chuckwagon building. It is scheduled for demolition right after the fair and construction on the new building will begin as soon as possible after that.

Courtesy photo Cassie Gibson poses for a photograph with one of her ribbons she earned in the 4-H horse competition at the 2016 Great Northern Fair. Gibson competed in Ranch Horse level 1 and a Western Horsemanship Level 1.

11

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

www.havredailynews.com

Junior Rodeo kicks off Great Northern Fair arena entertainment Alex Ross aeross@havredailynews.com The Great Northern Fair will kick off the first of four nights of entertainment Wednesday, July 19, at 5 p.m. in the fairgrounds arena with the annual Junior Rodeo.

The rodeo has been a longstanding tradition in Hill County, but this is the sixth year the Hi-Line Rodeo Association, a group of area youth ages 12 to 18, have organized it, Ruby Hould, the group’s advisor, said.

Interested youth had to register to enter.

No late entrants will be accepted, Hould said.

Rodeo activities will include barrel racing, sheep riding and steer tying, among others. Activities will differ based on age.

Competitors will be divided into six groups, ages 4-6, 4-8, 9-13, 13-16, 14-18 and 8-18.

Youngsters in the 4-6 age category can enter a sheep riding contest for $10 or a boot race for $5.

Contestants in the age 4-8 group will pay $12 per activity to enter contests in barrel racing, pole bending, goat untying or flag race.

Youth in the age 9-13 category can enter barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, breakaway roping and steer riding at a cost of $15. Youth ages 14-18 will pay $15 for the same activities as well as calf tying.

Contestants ages 13-16 can take part in a chute dogging contest, while the 8-18 group can compete in team roping and a relay contest.

First-place winners will receive belt buckles. Youth who finish second will also receive a prize, Hould said.

All competitors must be at the fairgrounds arena between 2:30 and 4:45 p.m. with a parent or guardian to sign a release to take part in any of the contests, Hould said.

The rodeo begins at 5 p.m.

Havre Daily News/File photo Daniel Fraser leads the boot race July 20; 2016; during the Junior Rodeo at the Great Northern Fair. The Junior Rodeo is the first arena even at this year’s fair.

12

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

www.havredailynews.com

5

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

www.havredailynews.com

Fair food concessions: food, fun and fundraising Demo Derby rolls in with a new twist this year Pam Burke community@havredailynews.com

One of the mainstay attractions at any fair is the variety of vendors to fulfill that fair-food hunger, and the 2017 Great Northern Fair will offer a selection of 16 vendors making traditional treats and new offerings.

Many of the locally sponsored booths are used as fundraisers for activities throughout the year.

Steve Jamruszka said the Havre Lions Club will be cooking up the perennial favorite Pronto Pups with toppings, fries — both regular and cheesy — and drinks.

Every year club members, some of their family and a few extra volunteers come together to staff the concession s t a n d . B e c a u s e o f t h e i r e f f o r t s, Jamruszka said, the club can help support Lions initiatives including community projects, scholarships and youth activities locally as well as the Montana Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation.

Along with the long-time favorite pork chop sandwiches with grilled onions, the Havre Jaycees will be serving the Jaycee dog, regular hotdogs and Pizza Hut pizza, said Trisha Hellems.

All the money raised stays local, Hellems said, helping the club to support the Haunted Hotel Oakland, the Angel Tree, Koats for Kids and needs of other organizations. They’ve been doing this for close to 40 years, she added.

Another local organization, Havre Youth Baseball, will be running the Beer Garden again this year. Because the youth cannot sell or serve alcohol, Kelly Compton said, parents, family and other baseball supporters volunteer to work shifts throughout the fair.

“There’s a little bit of work that goes into it,” Compton said.

Volunteers all have to sign on early and attend training, which came in April this year, she said, to legally sell and serve the beer. Any late-volunteers are given other tasks like applying wrist bands, she said.

The organization lets other vendors sell food in the Beer Garden, benefiting those vendors and the customers as well,

Paul Dragu pdragu@havredailynews.com

Havre Daily News/File photo Kenzie Kallenberger buys a caramel apple from Kallie Meyerhoff at C and C Concessions July 20, 2016, during the 2016 Great Northern Fair

she said.

Some concession vendor,s like The Rollin Donut, come the fair to earn a living. Don and Nadine Nafts, like most of the commercial concessionaire’s, travel a circuit attending events like the fair to make money.

“July is our busiest month,” Nadine Nafts said, with every weekend booked throughout the month.

Along with the mini cake doughnuts which come with a variety of toppings, the Nafts sell hot and iced coffee, Italian

■ See Fair food Page 13

T h i s ye a r ’s H av re J ayc e e s Demolition Derby at the Great Northern Fair comes with a new addition — a soccer derby — and a subtraction, the bump ‘n run.

Trisha Hellems of the Jaycees said the idea was to add a twist to this year’s derby, so they replaced the bump ’n’ run with the soccer derby.

She said when they talked about the change, the organizers said, “Yeah, let’s go for it — it’s something different.”

The demo derby is the grand finale of a long weekend of fair events. It will begin Sunday at 5 p.m. Tickets are $15 each and $5 for kids 12 and younger.

Drivers will compete in multiple heats, smashing into each other and growling and slinging mud all over the place. The soccer derby will be in between all that action.

The soccer derby will be played by two teams, four cars each — smaller cars than those in the derby — that will compete to bounce or roll a six-foot inflatable ball into the other’s goals. The goals will be the buckets of the excavators that will sit on opposite sides.

Hellems said they anticipate about 20 cars to register for the demo derby. The top three competitors will win cash prizes. The amount of the cash prizes will depend on how many people register in the derby.

In addition to heats comprising roaring, crashing welded demo cars, there will also be a chain ’n go heat, a take back to the days when demo cars were held together by chains instead of welded.

Havre Daily News/File photo Drivers compete July 23, 2016, in the Jaycee Demolition Derby during the 2016 Great Northern Fair. This year’s derby is set to run in the arena Sunday, July 23, starting at 5 p.m.

4

2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

July 2017

Brewer: Jumphead text ■ Continued from page 3 barn, camping fees, money from people who pay to store items in the facilities during winter months and money for events conducted on the grounds such as weddings, the annual Everything Antique show or the Hi-Line Cruz’n Association’s annual Rod Run. Brewer said much of the crowd that now attends the fair are either small children or senior citizens. He said more must be done to reach out to older youth and to adults.

“We have to figure out how to get caught up to the youth of today, because we are missing it,” he said.

Part of the problem could be that the rides no longer appeal to older youth, Brewer said, but he doesn’t think that is so. The fair needs to find a way to offer people an experience, he said, adding that the popularity of interactive video games where players compete against one another could offer a clue about how to attract youth.

He said the fair could set a space for an activity where participants could compete against each other.

Brewer said the activities at the fair such as the rodeo and demolition derby are aimed at specific groups of people when what is needed are events and entertainment that have broader appeal.

He said people he has talked to want to see a concert or some type of live music.

“I have had a lot of people come up to me and say, ‘who is the entertainer this year?’

And I am like, ‘there isn’t one,’” Brewer said.

A musical act has the potential to draw a larger, more diverse crowd, which would not only bring a boost in revenue to the fair, but make it a more attractive prospect for future acts and vendors, he said.

The fair has had music acts, but they have tended to not meet expectations recently. The 2015 fair booked country musician Holly Williams, but few people attended.

Brewer said the right act could bring in a large crowd. He said such an act would not have to be a big-name entertainer, but could be a smaller group or a tribute band.

13

www.havredailynews.com

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

www.havredailynews.com

4-H pinewood derby is set at the fair Alex Ross aeross@havredailynews.com

The Great Northern Fair is having a

new kind of race this year.

The Hill County Chirping Meadowlark

4-H Club is hosting a pinewood derby at the 4-H Museum, starting at 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 22.

The race is open to adults and children in Hill County including non-4-H members. A basic kit was available for $5 from Hill County 4-H or people can build

a car on their own.

A project workshop day was set at Pepin Park Sunday to help anyone interested in entering a car in the race.

The race has four divisions: Cloverbuds, ages 5 through 7; juniors, 8 through 13; senior, ages 14 through 19;

and alumni or leaders ages 19 and older.

Cars will also be judged based on

appearance in each division. Cars will be weighed and displayed Wednesday, July 19, from noon until 6 p.m. at the 4-H Exhibit building.

Truck pull back at Great Northern Fair Paul Dragu pdragu@havredailynews.com After four years without a truck pull, the event is back and will premiere, again, Saturday, July 22, at the Great Northern Fair at 7 p.m.

Tickets will cost $15, with children 8 and under get in free.

“We just kind of decided to look

around to find something different. For the past two years, we’ve had that open day of things,” Fair Board Member Shelby Gooch said of the decision to bring the truck pull back. “So when the Havre Jaycees went back to doing their demolition derby on Sunday, we needed to fill Saturday.

“So we thought we’d bring back a truck pull. A lot of people love the truck

pull,” she said.

The objective of the truck pull is to drag a weight-filled sled all the way down a 300-foot-long field, without coming apart. The sled, owned by event coorganizer Bill Mangold, is basically a trailer with a box filled with iron weights, he said.

The amount of weight on the trailer will depend in which of the three classes

— its towing capabilities — the pickups belong to. The weight will be plenty, though, and it will prove so burdensome for some vehicles it will inevitably dismember them, Mangold said.

“Whatever the weakest link at that time, they will break,” he said.

Organizers anticipate between 18 and 20 participants.

Fair food: Long list of vendors serving food at the fair ■ Continued from page 12

Havre Daily News/File photo People go through the carnival at the 2016 Great Northern Fair.

Vendors and merchants seeking to sell merchandise or promote are another hallmark of the fair. They are scattered throughout the grounds, but most are concentrated in and around the Commercial Building.

This year, some vendors are not returning.

■ See Brewer Page 7

cream soda, sun tea and water, she said.

But not all businesses travel to provide mobile concession services.

Hi-Line Dance will have booth selling fried pickles, tacos-in-a-bag and fried tacos, studio owner Catalina Carlton said.

Money earned at the concession stand, Carlton said, are put toward a boosterclub-type fund.

“Not everyone can afford shoes, travel and supplies,” she said, so the money is used to help kids in the dance troupe be able to afford those things, along with helping them to travel to Pearl Harbor every other year to perform in annual

honor ceremonies.

While at Pearl Harbor this year, the dancers will get to work with a worldclass choreographer, as they do on years when they march in one of the major bowl parades, such as the year they got to work for a few days with singer/performer Mandy Moore.

“It’s a great opportunity for the (local dancers),” she said, adding that her work with the kids is a “passion of my heart.”

Concession stands will be open noon to at least 11 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to no later than 8 p.m.

Sunday.

Other booths with fair concessions will

be sponsored by MSU-Northern BPA, C&C Concessions, Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line, Citrus Cyclones, Mom’s and

Pop’s Kettlecorn, Optimist Club, Glacier Shaved Ice, Solomon Shaved Ice, MSUNorthern Football and Havre Softball.

14

2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

July 2017

www.havredailynews.com

2017 4-H FAIR SCHEDULE

Tuesday, July 18 9 a.m. to noon — Interview judging Wednesday, July 19 10 a.m. — 4-H Horse Show 11 a.m. — Bigger Better Barn concessions open to public 1 p.m. — 4-H exhibit buildings open 4 p.m. — Chuckwagon opens to public 5:30 p.m. — Bigger Better Barn concessions close 6 p.m. — 4-H exhibit buildings close 11 p.m. — Chuckwagon closes Thursday, July 20 7 - 9:30 a.m. — Market Animal weigh scale open 11 a.m. — Chuckwagon and Bigger Better Barn concessions open to public noon — Exhibit buildings open to public 2 p.m. — 4-H Small Animal Show Cat Showmanship and judging Rabbit Showmanship and judging Poultry Showmanship and

judging Rabbit Agility Event 7:30 p.m. — Bigger Better Barn concessions close 9:30 p.m. — Exhibit buildings, Bigger Better Barn, and Beef Barn close 11 p.m. — Chuckwagon closes Friday, July 21 9 a.m. — Bigger Better Barn Concessions open to public 9 a.m. — 4-H Beef Show Beef Showmanship Breeding Beef Show Feeder/Market Beef Classes 11 a.m. — Chuckwagon opens to public noon — Exhibit buildings open to public 7:30 p.m. — Bigger Better Barn concessions close 9:30 p.m. — Exhibit buildings, Bigger Better Barn, and Beef Barn close 11 p.m. — Chuckwagon closes

Saturday, July 22 8 a.m. — 4-H Swine Show Swine Showmanship Swine Feeder/Market Classes

■ See Schedule Page 15

Bob Sivertsen auctions off Loy Waid’s pig July 24, 2016, during the 4-H Market Sale at the Great Northern Fair.

3

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

www.havredailynews.com

Brewer: ‘I have always just poured myself into whatever job I’ve taken’ ■ Continued from page 2 starting, he has spent much time tending to the grounds and familiarizing himself with the duties of the job. He said he recently worked 46 hours within the span of four days — the fairgrounds manager is meant to be a 30 hours-a-week position.

“I have always just poured myself into whatever job I’ve taken,” he said.

Part of that job includes preparing the grounds for this month’s annual Great Northern Fair.

Brewer, along with his wife, City Council member Denise Brewer, has lived in Havre since the late 1980s. He has a Bachelor of Science in business and a varied resume that includes managing stores and an apartment building, construction, working for BNSF and working for 11.5 years at concession stands in fairs throughout Montana and Washington.

Part of Brewer’s work has been preparing the grounds for this year’s fair. He said that has included putting water on the arena in the Bigger Better Barn to reduce the amount of dust that rises, mowing and weeding, and filling in gopher holes in the fairgrounds parking lot, among other things.

This year’s fair arena entertainment will kick off Wednesday, July 18, with the Junior Rodeo, organized by the Hi-Line Rodeo Association. Thursday evening will be a rodeo, followed by bull riding Friday evening and a tractor-truck pull Saturday. The Jaycees will round out the fair Sunday with their annual demolition derby.

Brewer said this year’s free entertainment will be inflatable play toys and a kid’s zipline provided by The Inflatable Fun Zone, a Bozeman company.

Like last year, the carnival will be provided by Dreamland Amusements, a carnival out of Billings. The carnival’s owner, Riley Cook, said 15 to 17 rides will be at the fair this year.

As always, the fair will also have concession stands mostly operated by civic groups. Hill County 4-H will also have its exhibits and serve refreshments, and a club is hosting a pinewood derby at the 4-H Museum Saturday during the fair.

This year will be Brewer’s first as manager and he said he knows the stakes are high.

In recent years, the crowds have become smaller. That trend is discouraging for the grounds which relies on the fair for most of its funding.

Brewer was not yet manager when the

Havre Daily News/File photo Cooper Lineweaver, 20-months-old, eats a Pronto Pup July 21, 2016, while attending the 2016 Great Northern Fair with his mother, Autumn Lineweaver. bulk of the planning was done and much of what is normally done by the manager was done by the fair board.

He said he hopes the fair is successful.

“It’s only four days and this is our big money maker,” he said. “We need to start winning again, so hopefully people come to all the events that are planned.”

The county kicks in about $5,600 annually to the fairgrounds, which, Brewer said, is only enough to pay for about two months of the grounds’ utility bills. Other sources include money from horse stall rentals in the horse

■ See Brewer Page 4

2

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

www.havredailynews.com

Brewer takes the helm at Great Northern Fair Alex Ross aeross@havredailynews.com Dave Brewer has spent so much time at the Great Northern Fairgrounds lately he says jokingly that his wife says she thinks he has a girlfriend stashed away up there.

“I said unless it’s a plumbing wrench, a lawn mower or a pipe wrench or something there is no girlfriend up here,” he said.

Brewer was hired in April by the Great Northern Fair Board to be the fairgrounds manager. He replaced Bob Horne, who resigned from the position last fall. Since

15

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

Schedule: 4-H'ers at fair through Sunday ■ Continued from page 14 9 a.m. — Bigger Better Barn concessions open to public 11 a.m. — Chuckwagon opens to public noon — Exhibit buildings open to public 1 p.m. — 4-H Sheep Show Sheep Showmanship Breeding Sheep Show Feeder/Market Sheep Classes 3 p.m. — 4-H Round Robin Competition 3:30 p.m. — 4-H Pinewood Derby Car Event (cement pad in front of 4-H Museum) 7 p.m. — Bigger Better Barn concessions close 9:30 p.m. — Exhibit buildings, Bigger Better Barn, and Beef Barn close 11 p.m. — Chuckwagon closes

Sunday, July 23 8 - 9:30 a.m. — 4-H Appreciation Breakfast sponsored by CHS Big Sky 10 a.m. — Bigger Better Barn concessions open to public 11 a.m. — Chuckwagon opens to public 11:30 a.m. — Buyer Appreciation Lunch at Bigger Better Barn noon — Exhibit buildings open to public 1 p.m. — 4-H Market Sale in Bigger Better Barn 3:30 p.m. — Bigger Better Barn concessions close 4:30 p.m. — Non-animal 4-H exhibits may be removed from the exhibit buildings

Havre Daily News/File photo Right: Ashleigh Barrett smiles after her interview July 19, 2016, at the Havre Middle School at the Hill County 4-H interviews during the 2016 Great Northern Fair.

Havre Daily News/Floyd Brandt Great Northern Fairgrounds manager Dave Brewer listens June 30 during an interview at the fairgrounds. Brewer was working this spring and early summer to prepare the fairgrounds for his first Great Northern Fair as manager.

www.havredailynews.com

16

2017

July 2017

GREAT NORTHERN FAIR

www.havredailynews.com