Fair Board Reviews Budget Details and Ribbon Premiums Ahead of 2026 Season
January 10, 2026 | Broadwater County, Montana
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The Broadwater County Fair Board spent a significant portion of its meeting reviewing budget details, recent expenses and how ribbon and rosette premiums will be handled for the 2026 fair.
Staff reported concrete line-item changes: a split advertising expense for the rodeo ($1,300 as the board’s share), roping barn power costs (noted as $886 for an August month), and a petty-cash workflow in which $4,200 was requested from the county to cover open-class petty cash during fair operations. The board also discussed extra costs for security and a DJ, and that rosette and ribbon orders are placed in January.
On premiums, staff noted the current payout schedule: purple and blue ribbons $3, red $2, white $1; flat ribbons cost about $0.43 apiece and rosettes average about $3.30 each. Historical count data cited: 1,277 entries last year across roughly 183 exhibitors with $3,487 paid in premiums. Members discussed raising premium amounts but also flagged constraints in the fair-entry software: the system’s hierarchy makes it difficult to differentiate payouts by 4‑H versus open class without reconfiguring entries.
No final decision to change ribbon payouts was made; members asked staff to gather additional county-comparison data and present options at the February meeting.
Quotes used in this report come directly from the meeting’s budget presentation and member discussion.
Staff reported concrete line-item changes: a split advertising expense for the rodeo ($1,300 as the board’s share), roping barn power costs (noted as $886 for an August month), and a petty-cash workflow in which $4,200 was requested from the county to cover open-class petty cash during fair operations. The board also discussed extra costs for security and a DJ, and that rosette and ribbon orders are placed in January.
On premiums, staff noted the current payout schedule: purple and blue ribbons $3, red $2, white $1; flat ribbons cost about $0.43 apiece and rosettes average about $3.30 each. Historical count data cited: 1,277 entries last year across roughly 183 exhibitors with $3,487 paid in premiums. Members discussed raising premium amounts but also flagged constraints in the fair-entry software: the system’s hierarchy makes it difficult to differentiate payouts by 4‑H versus open class without reconfiguring entries.
No final decision to change ribbon payouts was made; members asked staff to gather additional county-comparison data and present options at the February meeting.
Quotes used in this report come directly from the meeting’s budget presentation and member discussion.
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