EVANSTON — Leaders representing the Uinta County Fair Board, local 4-H units and Future Farmers of America met with local officials on Tuesday, Dec. 5, in an effort to address some of the problems and miscommunication that resulted in complaints and lost opportunities for kids during the recent Uinta County Fair.

The Uinta County Commissioners asked county attorney Loretta Howieson to mediate the meeting, and for over two hours concerned individuals attempted to find solutions to some of the difficulties that have been plaguing the fair. 

Howieson began the discussion by asking those in attendance to find common ground and “acknowledge that what has been happening the last three to four years isn’t working.” Although the various groups in attendance may have had conflicts and been at odds, Howieson said she believes they are all pursuing an answer to the same question; “What’s best for kids in Uinta County?” 

The first issue tackled by the group dealt with the fair book. Howieson said difficulties with the fair book had been brought up at every fair board meeting, including complaints related to typographical errors and inconsistent information. 

Leaders with 4-H and FFA said they wanted the opportunity to review the book prior to printing and publication, so a timeline was developed in order to make that review possible. 

Fair board manager Ami Barker said the books had to go to print by the first week in April to be completed on time because of a large number of competing print jobs in the spring. The timeline developed allowed for time to get any changes in classes and events from the state and for 4-H and FFA to review the book prior to it being sent to press in early April. 

The fair book timeline proved to be the easiest issue to resolve, and the only one with a definitive resolution. 

The group then turned its attention to the problem of late or missed entries. Howieson asked if there was a way to confirm that people entered correctly or a way to keep a running list of who was entered that could be shared with 4-H and FFA leaders.

Barker said part of the problem is that 90 percent of the entries come in on the last possible day, which limits the usefulness of sharing a running list. County commissioner Craig Welling asked if it was possible to have a PDF document online that anyone could look at to see if a child was entered. 

Barker said part of the problem with doing so is that there have been problems in the past of parents trying to guarantee their child won. “It has been a problem in our county with people seeing no one in some classes, and then they enter their kids in those,” said Barker. 

Fair board member Steve Sims said the responsibility of making sure kids are entered is not just on the fair board, and that FFA and 4-H have a responsibility to teach their kids how to enter. 

Discussion was also held about possibly changing entry deadlines and coming up with a fee schedule for late entries. 

The most contentious discussion of the evening focused on whether or not entrants would be able to switch classes at the gate if it was discovered they were registered in the wrong class. There was disagreement about whether class switching was allowed at the state level, as some 4-H leaders said it was allowed while others present said it was not. 

Individuals with 4-H said they didn’t understand why it would be a problem to switch classes at the gate, and Barker explained the different headaches and problems it creates for members of the fair board in charge of coordinating everything, including the judging.

At one point, as the discussion went back and forth about whether the fair board or 4-H determined the rules, Howieson asked, “Whose show is it?” 

Ultimately, the impasse came down to this question over whether the fair is a 4-H-endorsed event sponsored by the fair board or a 4-H-sponsored event. The answer to that question may determine who is ultimately responsible for setting the rules. 

After extensive discussion, the answer to that question about ultimate responsibility remained elusive and unanswered. The only clear conclusion was that more meetings and discussion will be required to sort out this issue.