Douglas County Fairgrounds facilities, leadership and how to track events

Douglas County will shift booking at the Castle Rock Fairgrounds from a first-come, first-served reservation model to an application-based system, Burns told county commissioners at an Oct. 28 board meeting, a change officials say will allow the county to prioritize larger multi-day events and better plan the campus calendar. Burns called the move “an important step in how we position Douglas County Fairgrounds for the future.”

The 65-acre campus at 500 Fairgrounds Dr. includes the Douglas County James R. Sullivan Events Center (JRSEC), Kirk Hall, indoor and outdoor arenas, the Green and Brown horse barns, the Whitman-Lowell pavilion, multi-purpose barns, livestock and large animal barns, and Heritage Plaza. The indoor arena measures 50,400 sq. ft. and seats 2,000 with bleachers and optional food service; the Events Center offers two flexible conference rooms that combine for seating up to 200 guests. Heritage Plaza sits in the heart of the Midway and features an outdoor shell stage, bench seating and a nearby playground.

County promotional materials say the fairgrounds host more than 800 events each year, ranging from trade shows, rodeos and equine competitions to weddings, festivals, dog shows, auctions and 4-H activities. The Douglas County Fair Board, appointed by the Board of County Commissioners, is described as the driving force behind the annual Douglas County Fair & Rodeo and works with fairgrounds staff on marketing, sponsorships, 4-H support, livestock and horse shows, entertainment and rodeo performances. The Fair Board recognizes long-serving members including Scott Candelaria as a Gold Member and lists James R. Sullivan among Honorary Lifetime Members; the campus also bears the James R. Sullivan Events Center name.

Burns told commissioners the legacy reservation approach “has done well for the county” but “it has limited the county’s flexibility when larger multi-day events come along that require more advanced planning.” Fairgrounds staff have defined three classifications for events, with booking windows that range from six to 24 months, intended to “ensure that the largest, most impactful events have a fair opportunity to secure peak dates while leaving plenty of space on the calendar for smaller community and youth events.” Commissioner Abe Laydon supported the change, saying, “We need to right-size the use of the fairgrounds so that those premier events that really generate lots of revenue, lots of people, lots of interest have the opportunity to prioritize planning. It’s fair to the legacy users as well as potential future users.”

The county’s facility rental information indicates reservation requests will be evaluated on projected attendance, event duration, number of facilities used and the group’s history of successful events. Organizers seeking space are directed to begin the event application process through the county’s event and facility materials online and at the fairgrounds office at 500 Fairgrounds Dr., Castle Rock, CO 80104.

Separately, community leaders should note that personnel moves reported by KPIC — including the appointment of Ciera Keith as Fairgrounds Director and the retirement of Dan Hults — refer to Douglas County in Roseburg, Oregon, and are not related to the Castle Rock operation. County officials say the new application-based booking system is intended to balance revenue-generating premier events with longstanding community and youth users as the fairgrounds plans for future growth.