Electronic signs bring new "Wow!" to Fair promotion and events

A week before the Blaine County Fair kicked off, two 12 by 24 feet electronic sign boards were delivered and set up at each end of Chinook on Highway 2 (believe me, they are hard to miss). The signs are provided through support from the two Diamond level businesses that support the fair-Triple T Sales and Shipwheel Cattle Company.

John Skoyen, Fair Board member who first floated the idea of using the signs, said, "This year we'll be using the signs to recognize the businesses and individuals who provide extra support to the fair and posting major events that will happen during the week of the fair." The signs have the capability to do much more elegant images, including moving pictures.

The two signs in Chinook, owned and erected by Severson Productions of Great Falls, are described as "medium small" signs. Owner Marty Severson, who has been in the sound and entertainment business for a number of years, currently has 21 similar electronic screens some much larger. Normally the screens are permanently located in a large venue where major events are held. Marty had the trailers custom built so he could transport and display the signs at other events. He said he has towed the signs "all over the state of Montana. The mobile signs are catching on to promote local fairs, rodeos and musical events."

Severson has provided sound equipment and the mobile stage used at the Blaine County Fair for several years. He and Skoyen were reviewing plans for the sound and stage needs for an upcoming fair when Severson told about the electronic signs. John said, "I started thinking about ways we could use the signs to promote the fair and make the fair more exciting. It took a couple of years to sell the idea, but now we are started. We'll find more uses as we learn the capabilities of the signs."

Along with Marty Severson, his daughter and John, fellow Fair Board member Loren Skoyen soon joined the crew to finish setting up the two signs along Highway 2-one just west of Rainbow Irrigation and the other at the northeast corner of American Garage's car lot. Severson had some demo images he posted to make sure the signs were working. He said, "I currently have them set at fifty percent of their brightest setting. That should be about right for vehicles driving by."

Will Mangold, who does computer support work in Chinook, soon arrived to deal with the computers on each sign. For the electronic sign project he described himself as "the programmer/operator/image maker." He explained, "Both Marty Severson and I are learning what these signs can do and how they work. They have some really elegant capabilities, but we'll start with still images, photos and text for this year." Mangold said he still had to figure out what size original images worked best on such a big screen. He soon had some fair-related images on the big screens.

Skoyen said, "We want to use the signs for more than just promoting the fair along the highway." The trailer holding the sign at the east end of town has a hydraulic mechanism that can lift the sign into the air. Skoyen added, "On Thursday of the fair, we'll move the sign to an area just east of the arena, behind the catch chutes. With the sign raised above the arena equipment, we can post messages and promote other fair events to the spectators in the grandstands."

Finally, Skoyen revealed his ultimate goal, "To have the signs used for replays, like in professional sporting events. We could rerun a rodeo ride, a demolition derby crash or anything else that we could film in the arena. The possibilities are endless."

So, future fair goers, this year see what it looks like as the sign crew "crawls before they run." And don't be surprised if at future fairs you'll see action replays with somebody in the announcer's booth drawing those squiggly lines to show where a bronc rider lost it or where a mutton buster zigged when she should have zagged. And for you romantic types, how about a "Will you marry me" proposal during the Demolition Derby. The very thought gives one goose pimples.

Thanks to the Fair Board and fair organizers for some additional creative thinking about ways to constantly make the Blaine County Fair "bigger and better" each year. Great job, keep up the good work.