Description

Following a meeting in 1951 with the Archuleta County Extension Agent, Vernon Cornforth and several local ranchers initiated a County Fair. During the first meeting, the Fair Committee elected Ray Macht as Chairman, and the Fair was set for September 28-29, 1951. The Pagosa Springs Sun printed that the Fair was for the benefit of the entire community, town’s people, and ranchers alike. The Fair schedule was geared toward providing a show place for the fine registered cattle owned by locals, providing a summary event for various 4-H projects, and treating the County to an exciting and fun event. Through the years, the growth of the County Fair reflected increasing interest by the youth of the community involved in 4-H and their dedicated leaders.

The mission of the Archuleta County Fair is to unite the community and preserve our history while embracing growth. We will support this by building memories, encouraging community involvement, creating learning opportunities, and providing entertainment. We believe in developing and fostering healthy competition for all Archuleta County 4-H, FFA, and open class exhibitors of the Archuleta County Fair.

The Archuleta County Fair is a recurring theme in the pattern of our county’s history, changing a little every year, growing with our County and keeping true to some of the very same values held dear over the last 73 years.

2025 Accomplishments

• Sponsor Contributions $26,548 monetary and $20,536 in “in kind” sponsorships.
• Collaborated with Pagosa Springs Medical Center to present a successful 3rd Tough Enough to Wear Pink cancer awareness rodeo event which raised $3,900 for the local Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders.
• Increased more family friendly activities for the community.
• Electrical on a portion of the grounds was updated to enable more electrical for vendors and future events.
• Exhibit Hall Display racks were upgraded
• Total Volunteer Hours were 728 hours.
• Total Community Service Hours were 69 hours
• Total Fair Board Hours were 792 hours
• Total Seasonal Labor Hours were 105.5 hours

2025 Challenges

• Lack of general volunteers
• Lack of fair board members
• Vendor participation was down

2026 Goals

• Create a large celebration for our 75th County Fair for the entire community.
• Keep fairground admission free or at a low cost.
• Increase attendance and volunteer participation through earlier advertising and the use of social media.
• Increase social media presence and advertising
• Increase revenue by soliciting contributions and by offering fee-based entertainment.
• Maintain operating costs according to County guidelines.
• Collaborate with PSMC for a Fourth Annual Tough Enough to Wear Pink Rodeo cancer awareness event.
• Continue to research/apply for grant funding for capital expenditures and infrastructure (lighting, electrical).