The Ranch Community Connection: Myth vs. Fact
Clear facts and helpful context on the questions our community is asking most.
The Ranch is a Northern Colorado multi-event and entertainment destination
The Ranch means something different to everyone. For some, it’s where generations have gathered for the Larimer County Fair. For others, it’s hockey nights, horse shows, 4-H achievements, concerts, expos, and community events that bring people together all year long.
Lately, we’ve heard a lot of questions about what The Ranch is today, who it’s meant to serve, and how we keep community access strong while planning for the future.
To help keep everyone on the same page, we’re sharing Ranch Community Connection: Myth vs. Fact, a series that addresses the topics we hear about most. This month, we’re covering whether The Ranch is “a fairgrounds,” what community access really looks like (including 4-H and nonprofit use), and what the 2017 sales tax measure actually funded. Here is this month’s Myth vs. Fact:
Myth: “The Ranch is a fairgrounds and should be priced like a fairgrounds.”
A future campus vision that keeps the fairgrounds central while growing capacity for community events, sports, entertainment, and more.
Fact: The Ranch is the proud home of the Larimer County Fair and PRCA Rodeo, and those events will always be a cornerstone of who we are. However, to be successful now and longterm, The Ranch has to be more than a fairgrounds. The Larimer County Fair & PRCA Rodeo is an annual event, and The Ranch is the year-round venue and campus where the Fair is hosted, along with many other events that serve our community.
Larimer County’s Fair began as a traditional fairgrounds operation starting in the late 1800s and later moving to a smaller site in Loveland. In the early 2000s, the County built what is now The Ranch Events Complex.
Today, The Ranch is a multi-venue, multi-event, and entertainment destination supporting agriculture and youth programs while also hosting the Fair, sports, rodeos, concerts, meetings, trade shows, expos, community gatherings, and more. Operating and maintaining a campus of this scale is costly, which is why revenue from a mix of events helps sustain community access.
Myth: “You’ve priced out agriculture, 4-H, FFA, and smaller local events. You built infrastructure, then raised prices so high that no one can afford to use it.
4-H pig show day at The Ranch, one of many agriculture and youth events that keep our fairgrounds roots strong year-round.
Fact: Supporting local groups is a core priority at The Ranch, including 4-H, FFA, horse shows, working dogs, and other agriculture-centered events. In 2025, The Ranch hosted 26 equine events across 130 event days, and Origin Arena was booked for 4-H events for 198 days.
4-H uses Origin Arena (built during Phase I of the Master Plan) and the McKee Building at no cost, and nonprofits and other community groups can reserve these spaces at significantly reduced rates.
Providing that access takes real resources. Operating Origin and McKee costs more than $750,000 each year. To keep community programming strong and support the planned sunset of the sales and use tax in 2039, The Ranch also needs to generate revenue as a year-round events and entertainment destination.
That revenue comes primarily from commercial events and helps cover the cost of maintaining community spaces. It is not generated by charging 4-H or pricing out local groups. This balance is intentional, and it helps protect community access while moving toward long-term financial sustainability.
Myth: “What happened to all the money for AG improvements that were voted for and approved?”
Fact: Phase I of the Master Plan delivered real, on-the-ground improvements for agriculture and equestrian events. That includes upgrades to the equestrian center, a larger warm-up arena, and Origin Arena, plus 95 RV sites to better support multi-day ag events. Work is also underway on the outdoor area now under construction, along with key infrastructure upgrades that make ag events of all types run smoother.
Origin Arena, a dedicated community facility at The Ranch that supports youth programs, agriculture events, and hands-on learning year-round.
Myth: “We never voted for Phase II projects. The community didn’t approve this.”
Fact: In 2017, voters approved continuing the 0.15% sales and use tax to fund phased improvements at The Ranch from 2019 through 2039. That vote approved the funding mechanism and the long-term improvement timeline, not a separate project-by-project vote on each phase.
The tax was intended to support The Ranch campus overall, including the events center, 4-H and community facilities, and campus-related improvements. From there, Phase II projects are identified and prioritized through the Master Plan process, informed by community engagement, economic research, and project analysis, then advanced through Board action as needs and opportunities evolve. That’s how Phase II projects fit in today and why the current plan includes new investments designed to strengthen the campus, expand year-round community use, and support long-term sustainability.
Phase II: Protecting Community Access and Building Long-Term Sustainability
The Ranch is a community pillar. We are here to support agriculture, youth programs, local nonprofits, and community events while also serving as Northern Colorado's year-round multi-event and entertainment destination.
Phase II is about protecting what the community values most and strengthening the financial foundation that makes it possible. By attracting a broader mix of events and visitors, we can help sustain community access, reduce reliance on public tax dollars over time, and stay on track to sunset the sales and use tax in 2039.
Get Involved
Have questions or feedback you’d like to see addressed in a future update? Take the The Ranch Master Plan Community Engagement & Communications Survey here. We want you involved.