PLAINS – The Sanders County Fair Board came together for their June meeting last week at the county fairgrounds in Plains.

To start off the meeting, the board introduced their selection for the county’s next fair manager, Dede Steinebach.

Steinebach will be taking over from current Fair Manager Mike Hashisaki, who is retiring following the end of this year’s Sanders County Fair.

The future fair manager was on hand for last week’s meeting and she will spend the next few months working with Hashisaki and the fair board to help her prepare for her new role in Sanders County.  

The board also held its biannual elections and after a lengthy discussion Chris McGuigan was nominated as chair of the Fair Commission and Jenny Garrison was nominated as the commission’s vice chair.

As the fair board continued on with the meeting’s business the decision was made with 4-H that there would be no waterfowl entries at this year’s fair.

“The state veterinarian thought that was a good solution so that was the way we went,” Hashisaki said.

The Missoula, Kalispell and Ravalli County fairs have also banned waterfowl entries at their fairs in an effort to stop waterfowl from transmitting a strain of avian flu to other poultry.

There will also be no breeding swine entries at this year’s fair.

With Independence Day right around the corner the fair board took some time to discuss the planned Fourth of July celebrations at the fairgrounds.

According to Hashisaki, there will be a DJ on hand for the festivities at the fairgrounds in addition to two bands from Missoula, who donated their services to the event.

There will also be a fire truck on hand for the fireworks display.

“This could grow into a pretty good event,” Hashisaki said.

Hashisaki noted Missoula had cancelled their fireworks display and with many county areas classified as forested, thus not allowed to shoot fireworks due to the very high fire danger, the display at the fairgrounds could be a big draw.

Before the meeting was adjourned it was annonced that 4-H received an $800 grant which will go towards updating the showers on the Sanders County Fairgrounds in Plains.