Crook County Fair Board discusses long-term future of Crooked River Roundup contract
Tracee Tuesday
PRINEVILLE, Ore. {KTVZ} — The Crook County Fair Board met Monday evening in Prineville, focusing on one of the most significant topics on its current agenda — the fair’s contract with the Crooked River Roundup (CRR).
During the meeting, representatives from the Crooked River Roundup Board voiced their dissatisfaction with the existing short-term contract governing the 2025 rodeo and race season. The agreement, valued at $25,000, was described by CRR Race Chair Doug Smith as inadequate given the economic impact the Roundup brings to the fairgrounds and the local community.
Smith and other CRR leaders outlined several priorities for future consideration, including:
A 20-year contract term
Rent tied to event profits rather than fixed annual increases
County support for potential grandstand upgrades
Shared access to grant funding used for facility improvements
Fair Board member Casey Kaiser acknowledged the challenges of reaching a balanced agreement. To facilitate progress, the board recently created a formal advisory committee, with Kaiser appointed as a designated member. The committee’s role is to collect and analyze information related to past and current contracts to help Fairgrounds Manager Casey Daly develop a recommendation for future negotiations.
“The job of that committee will be to provide information to the director that will help him form a recommendation to the board on how to handle the contract with the Crooked River Roundup,” Kaiser explained.
According to Kaiser, three governing bodies are part of the discussion — the Crook County Fair Board, the Crooked River Roundup, and the Crook County Board of Commissioners. Coordinating between these groups means the process will take time.
“There are places where our interests align perfectly between the fairgrounds and the Crooked River Roundup,” Kaiser said. “And there are places where our interests differ. These are two very important entities in the community, and negotiating this contract just takes a little bit of time.”
The advisory committee will first gather background and financial information on previous contracts before presenting its findings to Daly. Once reviewed, Daly will compile his own analysis and make a recommendation to the Fair Board for potential action.
No timeline has been announced for when the process will be completed.
For details about the Fair Board and its members, visit the Crook County Fair Board webpage.