Curry planning special meeting on expo

CLOVIS — The Curry County Commission is planning a special meeting Friday morning to request public health order modifications that would allow the Curry County Expo to continue as planned.

The 9 a.m. meeting at the Curry County Administrative Complex will be livestreamed to the public on currycounty.org and the county Facebook page. Members of the public can contact County Manager Lance Pyle at [email protected] prior to the meeting with questions or comments.

The agenda includes two actions:

• a resolution requesting Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel modify public health orders to allow livestock events at the Curry County Fairgrounds;

• and discussion of a virtual livestock expo should public health orders not allow an in-person expo.

The commission last month canceled the annual county fair, and opted to hold an expo instead that is dedicated solely to judged youth events. The expo was planned for the Aug. 11-15 timeframe that was to originally feature the fair.

Current public health orders restrict gatherings to five people in a single room or combined space, require recreational facilities to remain closed and require out-of-state travelers quarantine for 14 days.

The fairgrounds are considered recreational facilities by the state, and last year a majority of judges came from Texas. A virtual format would allow the shows and livestock sale to go on, albeit in a different format.

Expenses would include $700 in setup fees from ShoWorks, $2,800 in judges’ fees and $4,350 for buckles that are normally reimbursed by sponsors. Additionally, ShoWorks would receive 1% of the livestock sale total.

The resolution seeking public health order changes notes that “it is the desire of everyone involved to ensure that our youth’s work will not be in vain as livestock and other projects cannot be carried over to another year. The county would also declare its intent to comply with guidelines on masks, social distancing and other safety requirements.