Pictured: Carroll County Fair Board President Dan Behrens presents the FY27 request during the Dec. 22, 2025 Carroll County Board of Supervisors meeting
The Carroll County Fair Board has big plans for the fair’s future, and that is reflected in its Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 funding request to the Carroll County Board of Supervisors. Fair Board President Dan Behrens, who is serving his first year in that role, presented the board’s $17,000 ask, up from $13,500, to the supervisors at Monday’s meeting. Behrens says several factors lead to the larger request, the first being rising costs.
Behrens says the second is a desire to make the Carroll County Fair a premier summertime destination for the region.
According to Behrens, livestock entries have steadily declined in recent years, but static exhibits have remained relatively consistent. Considering Carroll County’s ties to agriculture, he says they must keep kids engaged via 4-H, FFA, and the fair.
He adds that the last time fair organizers made a concerted effort to increase fair participation and attendance was nearly three decades ago, and he believes now is the time to make another push.
The supervisors have generally supported the Carroll County Fair Board’s funding requests in recent years, but a 26 percent increase from FY26 is a significant year-to-year jump. The bulk of the fair’s funding comes from the races it hosts throughout the summer and from private donations. The supervisors did not take action on the Carroll County Fair Board’s request at Monday’s meeting, as non-governmental organizational allocations are made near the end of the county’s budgeting process.
