• Premium tickets, bigger video board and new seats highlight growing annual event

With Independence Day now in the rearview mirror and the hot days of summer taking over, it’s only a short time until the Lincoln County Fair envelopes Afton and Star Valley from August 3-10. This year will have more vendors than ever before as well as several other new additions to try and help improve the experience.

“The countdown is on and we are prepping for our final meeting where we are ready or not,” joked Lincoln County Fair Board Chairman Brandon Taylor. “We’ve seen some changes as we’ve said goodbye to Joy Fox and Robert Linford. They leave some big shoes to fill and we are trying to work through that as we stand on their shoulders. We thank them for their past work and say hello to Daydra Helm from Smoot and Jaycee Romrell from Kemmerer who have joined the board and hit the ground running.”

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW: BRANDON TAYLOR, TIFFANY DECKER AND KIMBERLY WINDER –

Taylor touched on some changes to the ticket system after some decisions made in the past caused some negative community response.

“A couple years ago we switched to a new ticketing software and company and decided to add the ticketing fee on top of what we charge and that wasn’t all that popular,” he said. “We received some push-back from community members and realized we didn’t do that right. We should have been more clear in that process so what you see is what you pay. There are no additional fees. $17 is the general admission price for most of the events. Some of them are a little less. We hear you. We don’t always get it right but we work hard to try and make the fair the best we can make it. This time we didn’t get it right but we are willing to say that and make the change and do it right moving forward.”

Not only are tickets currently available at lincolncountyfair.info, but visitors are able to save money with by buying ticket packages or enhance their experience by upgrading their tickets.

“It’s one price for all the shows,” Taylor added. “Reserved seats for $109 or premium reserved for $139. Nightly tickets are available as well. We are running low on seats and the rodeo seats are selling quick. You can save between $50-60 with those different packages. And the premium reserved prices give you a reserved parking spot and a preferred entrance so you don’t have to wait in line as well as that nightly soda.”

New upgraded seats are also part of the facilities.

“We just installed all new seats in the bottom half of the grandstands,” Taylor added. “The original seats were from 2002 and some people may have noticed they were falling apart. We appreciate the county commissioners for helping us with that.”

Another enhancement will be much bigger video board with upgraded features.

“Our current board was 5 feet by 12 feet,” Taylor said. “The new one is about 13 feet tall and 25 feet wide so doubling that size. A lot of new technology and it is high definition. We are going to have live feeds during the events and things like a crowd cam and we are excited to bring those things to the Lincoln County Fair.”

Also featured as part of the fair are the community booths. Both Tiffany Decker and Kimberly Winder were in the SVI studio with Taylor to talk about how residents can get involved.

“I’m brand new to this but we oversee the entrees and help arrange the judging,” said Decker. “We are working on decorating the booths with the theme “Best of the Best”. So we ask you to get those entries in and those tags so we can showcase your work. It’s basically a community talent show.”

Winder encouraged county residents to use the website to get things rolling.

“Every community has a member who is in charge of the booth,” she said. “Go to lincolncountyfair.info to find the community leader. That same site is where you can get your entries for the divisions you want to enter. Crafts, artwork, photography, baked goods; there’s a whole lot to chose from. You have until July 31 to get those entry tags in.”

Feel like you have something that may not fit what the booths are looking for? Give them a try.

“Almost anything,” Winder continued “If there’s not an entry form we can work on that.

Also we are always looking for volunteers to come and sit in the booth. See us in the North Exhibit building and see how much talent and creativity the area has.”

This year’s fair will also have more than 70 vendors.

“A lot of fan favorites are returning and there are some new ones as well,” Taylor added. “We’ve been trying to up the number of shopping space so you can fill all of your fair needs.”