Yee-Haw, Yip-Yaw!!! Saddle up for Larimer County Fair Parade in downtown Loveland Saturday - Reporter-Herald
Thomas Clayton
Larimer County Fair Grand Marshal Andrea Maxwell is captain of the Sheriff’s Posse, which runs the Junior Rodeo and event security
The Larimer County Fair kicks off Saturday morning with the annual parade through the streets of downtown Loveland and Grand Marshal Andrea Maxwell is looking forward to riding in the parade with the Sheriff’s Posse.
The Larimer County “Love is in the Fair” Parade begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, and the fair runs from Aug. 1-5 at the Ranch Events Complex.
Maxwell, who is also a Larimer County Sheriff’s Office deputy and equine investigator, is captain of the Sheriff’s Posse, and she and the rest of the team play a significant role in the Larimer County Fair. The posse runs the Junior Rodeo and security throughout the five-day event.
The grand marshal title would have gone to the entire posse if it could have, Maxwell said.
“I really want all the recognition to be towards the posse, because if you don’t have volunteers or people, you can’t lead anybody,” Maxwell said. “Without the posse, I’m really nobody. Can’t be a posse of one.”
The Sheriff’s Posse is a volunteer group of horseback riders (both deputized and not) who are trained to assist the department with emergencies such as large animal rescues and community events like the fair.
She laughs about it now because of how much she enjoys her work as a deputy and captain of the posse, but she only sought the job of records technician in the sheriff’s department in 2018 so she could join the posse.
“(I was) thinking of ways up in my office of how to make my horse tax deductible because he’s extremely expensive,” Maxwell said.
She’s had horses her entire life, so when she became a deputy in 2021 through the posse, she knew she wanted to continue her certifications to become an equine cruelty investigator.
“There were six months of my life that I didn’t have a horse and I lost my identity,” Maxwell said.
During the Junior Rodeo on Aug. 2, children will have the opportunity to compete in their own rodeo in the Longhorn Arena, from mutton busting for the younger kids to roping events.
“We get big, beautiful belt buckles for every single division, and then we do cash payouts, too,” Maxwell said. “It’s a really cool event for all the kids.”
Although Maxwell might be most excited for the Junior Rodeo, she said there will be plenty of other fair events for the entire family to enjoy.
“It’s a wholesome all-American tradition where you can bring your kids,” Maxwell said. “Sheep, pigs, canning, art projects, carnival … professional rodeo”
 | Tom Clayton Communication and Media Specialist, Public Affairs |
| Commissioners' Office 200 W Oak St, Fort Collins, 80522 | 2nd Floor W: (970) 498-7005 tcla...@larimer.org | www.larimer.org |