SIDNEY  --  Horseback racing , ATVs and running to the finish line is what makes the "Rubber Check Race" a fun and unique event.

The Cheyenne County Fair Board is trying to bring a Rubber Check Race to the 2024 Cheyenne County Fair.

The Fair Board is still working on the rules of the Cheyenne County event. 

The Rubber Check Race has been seen in Torrington, Scottsbluff and Cheyenne, Wyo. The traditional Rubber Check Race is a unique combination of horses, ATVs and running (in some variations, pushing a wheelbarrow), a relay between each stage. It tells the story of society progressing from ranching to farming to racing to the bank with a check.

The Rubber Check Race is held in various county fairs from the Nebraska Panhandle to western Wyoming. The team consists of four separate runners for each leg of the relay. 

In one version of the race, the first horse rider starts the race and runs around a circular track while holding the “Rubber Check.” The check must then be handed to the second rider in the event.

The second rider must ride to the dismount line, dismount from their horse, and run to the start line where the third member of the team is waiting on an ATV. The ATV rider must wait on the line until the check has been handed off to them.

The ATV rider then makes one and a half laps around the track with the check, stopping in the designated area. Once arriving in the stopping area, the ATV rider must dismount and climb into a wheelbarrow.

The fourth and final member of the team then pushes the wheelbarrow across infield to the finish line. 

The Fair Board is also considering expanding the beer garden west from the arena. The fair's first beer garden was held in 2023. Discussion Monday, April 22, included having the tent parallel to the north side of the fence west of the arena.