“For so many different reasons, this is an absolute win for the state of North Dakota,” said Don Jelsing with the Pierce County Fair Board in Rugby.

The Legislature passed and the governor signed House Bill 1591, which creates a County Fair Resiliency Grant Program with one-time funding of $1.5 million under the North Dakota Agriculture Commission. The agriculture commissioner can award grants of up to $100,000 to a fair association with the stipulation the recipient provides one dollar of matching cash from nonstate sources or in-kind contribution for every $2 of grant funding received.

Further specifics of the grant program will be drafted by the ag commission, but it is expected that fair boards that lobbied for the bill will have input into that process.

Nathan Schneider, Bowbells, president of the Burke County Fair Association, said his initial concern with the bill was the proposed one-to-one match, which would be difficult for small fairs to attain. The bill as passed is more favorable, particularly with the in-kind match allowance.

File Photo Carnival workers erect a ride at the Pierce County Fair in Rugby in 2023. The fair board expects to relocate the carnival this year as a first step in moving fair operations to a new property.

“That will help us out tremendously,” he said.

The Burke County Fair receives assistance from the county and raises funds from a number of donors, but those funds are needed just to put on the fair and keep it free so families can attend, Schneider said.

“To get the match, we’re going to have to try to find other money for that – additional money on top – which is going to be very hard. The in-kind will help quite a bit,” he said.

The Burke County Fair has issues with its water source and electrical wiring. The electrical issue poses a potential safety risk, while a leaking roof on the 4-H static exhibit building requires special measures be taken during rain events to protect the projects, Schneider said.

The Mercer County Fair Board would like to eventually move its fair from inside the city of Beulah but, in the short term, could use a new barn for small animal exhibits and maybe a grandstand at some point, said Rick Bauman, a Mercer County commissioner and fair board member.

Submitted Photo A former beef barn was cleaned and upgraded to serve as a show barn at the Mercer County Fair in Beulah, but fair officials say skylights need replacing and the building needs painting. Photo from the Mercer County Fair.

“We don’t have any running water, bathroom, showers or anything. We’d like to get something like that installed,” he said.

The fair receives county funding assistance but not enough to manage infrastructure projects.

“Hopefully, we will be able to fund some type of a match, and get some of these projects in place for the future,” Bauman said of the state grant.

Bauman said the fair board already invested more than $400,000 into upgrading the fair’s lighting and power system, buying new pens and building two hoop barns, for which the board is making loan payments.

“For a fair, it’s a constant struggle to keep up and everything costs so much,” he said. “All this stuff is done by volunteer help. They pay for their own gas. They put all of the labor into it.”

The McLean County Fair has a number of needed infrastructure projects as well, according to Diane Schell, president of the fair board, Underwood.

“We’re looking at several different projects,” she said.

Smaller projects are planned to make the fair more accessible, with better bathrooms and fencing on the highway side of the grounds for safety. The new building projects, such as a new barn, are the bigger challenge, but a state grant could help, Schell said.

“We have been saving money for quite a few years,” Schell said. “Without this grant, it would take more years.”

Jelsing said about 31 county fairs in the state would be eligible to apply for state grants.

The Pierce County Fair Board has infrastructure plans involving a fairgrounds relocation that could cost $500,000 to $1 million.

The fairgrounds now is on park district land, which would continue to be used for parking and possibly continuation of a racetrack, he said. The carnival and all the big events will move to the nearby new area, where extra space will allow for more parking and an outdoor horse arena.

The additional property would accommodate a demolition derby that has been held there in the past, along with a youth rodeo grounds. Concessions and free stage shows will be moving, and a new exhibit building is proposed for the future.

The transition will begin this year with the carnival relocating to the new property.

“It gives our carnival a little more freedom to bring some different rides,” Jelsing said. “They have always told us over the years they can’t bring any more rides because the land is too sloped and they can’t physically block the carnival to get it level enough to be safe enough.”

A state grant could mean the difference between completing the move next year or not, Jelsing said.

The fair won’t have trouble producing grant match money, given the community support and funds already raised, not to mention the many hours of in-kind donations from volunteers, he said.

“We continue to try to do what we can, talk to people about the project and try to raise money for it,” he added. “We’re very positive that we are going to have this thing rocking and rolling by 2026.”