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by Sanders County

Fair Board

The Sanders County Fair is quickly approaching, set to take place Aug. 31- Sept. 4 at the fairgrounds in Plains.

Thursday at the fair will be locals’ night, with discounted rodeo tickets and special pricing for carnival rides. The carnival will be open 4-10 p.m. Thursday and may run later if ridership is high. Just for Locals’ Night, ride tickets will cost $4 each or, with a donation of two cans of nonperishable food for Sanders County food banks, $3 each, and all rides will take one ticket to ride. The fair board ambassador will also be wandering through the carnival giving out free ride tickets.

Unlimited riding wristbands will be honored during all five sessions of the carnival: Thursday 4-10 p.m., Friday 4-10 p.m., Saturday noon-5 p.m., Saturday 5-10 p.m., and Sunday noon-5 p.m. Wristbands sell for $35 at the carnival or $30 if purchased before Aug. 25 at one of many local Sanders County businesses.

Thursday’s PRCA Rodeo will include bareback and saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, team roping, barrel racing and bull riding. The local favorite mutton bustin’ will also be back. General admission tickets for Thursday’s show are offered at a discounted rate of $10 per adult, $8 per teen, and kids 10 and under get in free with a paying adult. The PRCA Rodeo brings with it top riders from all over the world, many of whom will go to the National Finals Rodeo. The legendary Bob Tallman – the voice of rodeo – will be announcing, and Jill Franzen will keep spirits high with top-notch music and sound. Felix Santana and his Fresian Stallion Romano will demonstrate some amazing horsemanship. Kaleb Barrett will be returning once again after many years of bullfighting, with Scott Allerdings in the barrel. Rodeo tickets are available online on http://www.sanderscountyfair.com.

Last year, two popular carnival rides didn’t make it to the Sanders County Fair. Carnival contractors produce multiple shows in a given weekend, and if a ride breaks down, they have to cover the open slot by splitting rides between events, which is what happened in 2022. It’s not ideal for anyone, but it’s the reality, according to the Sanders County Fair Board.

The other reality is that costs have gone sky-high the past few years, with fuel prices going through the roof for transporting rides to the area and fueling the generation equipment that keep them running all day and night. Hourly wages and employee insurance have also greatly increased. It takes about 30 operators to run the 17 rides that are planned to be here this year, and that doesn’t take into consideration the games, snack shacks and ticket booths. Paradise Amusements has been serving the Sanders County Fair and Rodeo for many years by bringing the rides we want while maintaining the best safety rating in the business. “That is something you can’t put a price tag on,” said fair board member Kim McMahon.