2010 Ravalli County Fair

Ravalli County Fair September 1-4, Hamilton, Montana

2010

2 - Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Table of Contents 2010 Ravalli County Fair has something for everyone..................................4 Vegetables and fruits compete for fair prizes................................................5 Fairgrounds upgrades improve facility for everyone.....................................6 Leaders make the 4-H world go ‘round..........................................................8 Livestock auction big moment for 4-H members........................................10 Fair rodeo put on by one big family..................................................12 Big horses and good mules highlight annual event..........................14 4-H groups work together to improve fairgrounds.....................................16 Fair Foundation off to a good start...................................................20 Free stage moves to new location at this year’s fair...................................21 Schedule of events..............................................................................23

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2010 Ravalli County Fair has something for everyone DEBORAH ROGALA

back from regional competition, will be performing their precision mounted drill team exercises, folThe 2010 Ravalli County Fair is lowed by the National Guard prejust around the corner in western sentation of colors.

Montana’s Beautiful Bitterroot Before the evening’s entertainValley. ment, take a stroll Join us Sept. 1-4 in through the barns and Hamilton at the Ravalli buildings to observe County Fairgrounds for first hand the fruits the Bitterroot Valley’s of your friends’ and best event of the year! neighbors’ labors.

Our local fair is well Calves, kids, rabbits, known and loved for sheep and swine along its family atmosphere with alpaca, poultry, and its cultural and fruits, flowers and historical ties to rural vegetables are showMontana life. We feacased throughout the ture a wide variety of grounds. Check out entertainment, exhibits, the award winning carnival rides, comDeborah Rogala quilts, baked goods munity food vendors, and canned foods, children’s activities, photography, art, crafts and hobbusiness and artist booths, rodeo bies for some great inspiration on performances, music and more – what to do with your time this fall truly something for everyone. and winter.

We open Wednesday with two There are lots of new things to bands performing in the main arena see and do at this year’s fair. Each for just our daily gate entrance fee. day at all the entry gates we will The Polyjesters from Canada blend have handouts complete with a witty lyrics with wry humor and map, schedule of events, vendor ole-timey bluegrass with a topping listing and thanks for our sponof jazz swing. Chance McKinney, sors who make this event possible hometown boy and 2010 CMT’s through their generous support.

Music City Madness Winner will For the first time ever this year complete the evening along with the market beef show will be held in his band Crosswire. Music starts at the evening and as always the pub6 p.m. lic is invited to attend. Thursday at Thursday night is the popular 6:30 p.m. in Hornung arena is where Bull-A-Rama, with both Friday and the grand champion 4-H/FFA steer Saturday nights featuring NRA for 2010 will be chosen.

Rodeo. Check out the pre-show The free stage has moved down rodeo entertainment with snippets to our new “Entertainment Corral,� from Ballet Bitterroot’s ‘Calamity located in the north end of the Jane’, beginning at 6 p.m. Kids 10 and under can enter the calf scram- fairgrounds under the shade trees.

Local performers keep this stage ble on Friday and Saturday nights hopping all day long! Yummy food for a chance to win carnival tickets and applause from rodeo fans! Our booths and additional entertainment will complete this new area. local Bitterroot Mountettes, just

Fair Director

Don’t miss our traveling entertainers for 2010 – Let’s Pretend Interactive Children’s Theatre, Dizzy Hips Extreme Hula Hooping and Karen Quest Cowgirl Tricks.

Local horse trainer Chris Bohenek will be offering core balance horsemanship clinics in the Quality Supply Arena, while entertainer extraordinaire Freddie Prez will be presenting his own unique blend of family entertainment on the west gate lawn. Try your hand at Guitar Hero, Hannah Montana Lip Sync, Karaoke, Sponge Bob Game Show, Cash Scramble and the Great Toilet Paper Blowout! Grandma’s Farm will also be hosting a plethora of kid’s games next to Freddie’s stage, and will have some new surprises for kids this year!

There is plenty of free parking in our north lot where you can hitch a

ride on our horse-drawn trolley to get to the heart of the fair with Kent and Mary Lou Conner.

Where else can you go to eat a great meal, go for a helicopter ride, watch fantastic rodeo, enjoy all our carnival has to offer, watch livestock showmanship classes, visit with neighbors, find out about area businesses and shop for art and services, all in one place, for next to nothing? The family friendly Ravalli County Fair invites everyone in the beautiful Bitterroot Valley and beyond to come together to celebrate this special place we call home.

As we say in the Bitterroot – ‘everyone loves the fair – hope we see you there’. For a complete schedule of events go to www.ravallicountyfair.org. or call 363-3411.

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Vegetables and fruits compete for fair prizes DAVID ERICKSON Staff Reporter

From pickled eggs to tender, mold-free hay to giant beets, the agricultural roots of the Bitterroot will be on display at this year’s Ravalli County Fair.

Bragging rights are up for grabs at this year’s largest vegetable contest, which will be judged the first morning of the fair, Wednesday, Sept.

1. Gardeners and farmers from all over the valley will be showing off their potatoes, summer squash, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, beets, cabbage, kohlrabi, winter squash and pumpkins.

The judging is for actual size, not weight, so no scales will be needed. The categories for largest fruits are just apples, strawberries and watermelons.

“It’s just the largest, physical measurement,” said horticulture superintendent Pat Miller. “We go by the largest, because with certain vegetables, particularly the cabbage, they can be very heavy but not very big.”

Last year, Miller said the winning pumpkin was around 525 pounds.

“We had to take it over to the livestock barn and weigh it on the beef scale,” Miller said. “We also had a humongous watermelon.”

Miller said the pumpkin contest is probably the most competitive every year.

“I know for certain it is bragging rights on the line for the largest pumpkin,” she said. “They fertilize them a lot and let them grow a lot longer than they should. The guys that grow the big pumpkins would not share their secrets.”

Miller said people should not be afraid to enter their fruits and vegetables this year because of the summer weather, which provided a very late growing season.

“I think the weather will be detrimental to the sizes this year,” she said. “But people need to remember that everyone else is in the same position. People look at their garden and they think they don’t stand a chance. But my suggestion is to bring in your fruits and vegetables and give it a shot. Everyone else is in the same boat.”

Miller said she had about 957 entries in her entire section last year, and this year she is hoping for 1,000.

This year, there is a $75 reward for the best bale of hay, Miller said, and $25 for second place.

Although the entry deadline has passed for hay bales, Miller said she hopes that there will be many more entries next year.

“The goal is to have men and women in the valley bring in their great grain,” she said. “I’m trying to encourage as many of the guys as possible to enter that section. We have a very wellqualified judge that looks at the hay. He judges on things like the stage of maturity when cut, the lack of weeds, the absence of mold and the tenderness of the hay. There are a lot of criteria he judges on.”

There will also be judging on herbs, dried foods, seeds, butter and cheese. Special exhibits include artistic arrangements of fresh herbs, tallest garden weed, tallest sunflowers, photographs of fruits and vegetables, and most unusual plant.

Miller said she has worked hard this year to make her part of the fair look less commercial than other fairs around the state.

“When you come to the fair we try really hard to make it have that hometown feeling,” she said. “We try to keep the commercial part to a minimum, or it just wont be the fair that it is today. We have cut-outs of vegetables to put on the wall, and I’m painting the building that we are in. I’m in a new building, the old Floral Building. We are trying to make it look very presentable.”

Entries for largest vegetables will be Tuesday, Aug. 31.

The rules for dairy products, eggs, 12-grains, grasses, vegetables, herbs and fruit can be found on pages 11-15 of the Backyards and Barnyards Ravalli County Fair exhibitor handbook.

For more information, call Miller at 777-2479.

6 - Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Fairgrounds upgrades improve facility for everyone JEFF SCHMERKER Staff Reporter

Viewing rodeos, prepping animals for show, enjoying entertainment and, ahem, using the “facilities” will all be a bit more comfortable this year for visitors to the Ravalli County Fair.

The county took big steps to improve the visitor experience and ensure safety at the fair this year.

Some improvements ought to be immediately noticeable, while others are virtually invisible.

“We did a lot of hard work to get ready for the fair this year and we are very excited about it,” said Deborah Rogala, the fair director.

Chief among upgrades are face lifts in both the mens’ and womens’ bathrooms.

The womens’ bathroom has a new paint job and two family changing rooms. The mens’ bathroom is brand new – and boy, was it ever needed.

“It’s a brand new facility with a lot of improvements,” Rogala said. “It’s amazing.”

Gone is the trough and in are individual urinals with walls, as well as two stalls with doors. Everything is accessible.

Likely the most important work done at the fair will be almost totally invisible. Acting on an engineer-

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ing assessment, crews added strength to the grandstand roof supports to bring the structure up to current safety and structural code.

“There was not a problem before but now we are really comfortable in the safety aspects,” Rogala said.

The arena has been reconfigured so the fencing is now closer to the grandstand, which will give everyone a better view of everything – riders and spectators alike.

The sheep and swine barns have been cleaned up by 4-H and there is new paint and pens in the poultry barn and upgrades to the beef barn.

The showing arena has better lighting and seating.

The entertainment area has been reconfigured for a better visitor experience, Rogala said.

She expects visitors to find better traffic flow to and from the stage along with plenty of

shopping and eating booths.

Elsewhere, an adult changing station has been added to the first aid booth. A youth group will meet all people using wheelchairs and tour with them through the fairgrounds.

All visitors passing through the entrance gates will receive printed handouts with a map, sponsor list, vendors and schedule of events.

Finally, one big improvement at the fair ought to be noticed by its conspicuous absence. For years a dilapidated home sat at the entrance to the fairground.

Abandoned and in various stages of disrepair, the county offered to give it away to anyone who could haul it off.

Finally this summer someone did just that.

Home renovators came and stripped the home of all of its usable materials board

by board and fixture by fixture. All the county had to do was remove the foundation and take some rubble to the dump.

“It was amazing,” Rogala said. “The foundation is out and now our plans for that area in the future are for permanent horseshoe pits, a fountain and a picnic area.

“We did a tremendous amount of work this year,” Rogala said, explaining that work expenses totalled about $30,000. “We did three pretty big projects but did not get to do everything on our deferred maintenance list.”

Reach reporter Jeff Schmerker at 363-3300 or at jeff.schmerker@ravallirepublic. com.

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8 - Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Leaders make the 4-H world go ‘round KATELYN ANDERSEN MSU Extension Office

If you see a kid running around at the fair in black pants and a white shirt, chances are high that they are a 4-H member.

Chances are even higher that the 4-H member has a few adults who are proud of them. Your first thought of a proud adult may be the kiddo’s parents, but around fair time, their 4-H leaders are just as proud as their parents. Guaranteed.

At fair time, 4-H members are given the opportunity to exhibit their projects and be rewarded for their hard work and efforts throughout the year. Although the focus of the fair is on the youth, none of it would be possible without the volunteer leaders, which can also be a parent.

Volunteers are truly the backbone of the 4-H program and Ravalli County has their fair share of amazing volunteers. The educational programs are delivered primarily through volunteers – adults and teens – that share their time, energy and knowledge to help 4-H members learn and grow through the

world around them. From organizing the Dog Show to judging still exhibits during interview judging, volunteers provide the power for a dynamic program.

Aside from the education volunteers provide, they are supporting youth in our community. One of the critical elements of positive youth development is positive relationships with a caring adult. Youth and adults should learn together and respect one another while developing a caring and trusting relationship. A caring adult acts as an advisor, guide or mentor while supporting the youth along the journey of life.

The powerful thing about 4-H is that it is a combination of youth development, leader development and community development.

Look around the fairgrounds – do you see the adults and youth working side-by-side in the 4-H Corner Café? The adults are doing much more than supervising the youth.

They are helping them gain valuable skills that could be used at a future job. How about the clean, freshly painted stalls in the barns?

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That was through the dedication of leaders and youth who saw a vision of improving a part of our community and thus teaching our youth to invest in the future.

At some point in our valley, the current teens will become the new decision makers, entrepreneurs, educators, employees and volunteers.

Fortunately, there are programs like 4-H to help them increase their knowledge base and develop life skills through the assistance of volunteer leaders.

There are several types of volunteers in the 4-H program: Organizational leaders, project leaders and resource leaders.

Each type of volunteer has a different level of time commitment and skills level to contribute to the 4-H program. If you have the time and desire to become a 4-H volunteer, come by the MSU/ Ravalli County Extension Office to start your journey.

Katelyn Andersen, M.S., is an Assistant Professor for Montana State University. She serves as the 4-H/ Youth Development and Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent for Ravalli County. Contact: 375-6611 or 215 S. 4th Street Ste G, Hamilton.

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Livestock auction big moment for 4-H members SEPP JANNOTTA Staff Reporter

The kids put a full year into raising their animals and it all boils down to one week in September when they bring them out to the livestock barns at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds for viewing and judging.

But the true moment of triumph comes early on Saturday morning when those animals are paraded into the auction.

Back in the barn stalls hogs, cattle and lambs are given their best brushing to get them to shine for their turns through the ring.

Out at the auction ring itself, the ring men and auctioneers stand at the ready.

“The auction is definitely the finality of the process for kids,” said Wade Weber, owner of Cowpoke Ranch Supply, who like his dad and grandfather works the auction as a ring man. “I think it is their big moment.”

Of course, there is another key component to the auction, said Mary Koenen who helps coordinate the 4-H livestock program.

It is people like Weber, who commit to buy some of these animals, thereby helping to ensure that programs like 4-H and Future Farmers

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of America remain a strong part of the Bitterroot Valley community, Koenen said.

The supports of the auction are not just businesses like Cowpoke, Valley Irrigation, Pfau’s Feeds, Farmers State Bank and others that consistently buy champion and reserve champion animals, but families and individuals as well, Koenen said. “And we really deeply appreciate each and every supporter, whether it’s a business or an individual,� she added.

For Scott Kurfman, owner of Pfau’s Feeds, investing in those animals starts with the discounted feed he sells the kids for raising their animals and continues through the auction, where he maintains the Pfau’s tradition of purchasing champion animals. “That just shows our true support for local agriculture,� he said. “Sure, not all these kids will be ranchers and farmers down the road. But a lot of them may, it’s a part of our heritage and by supporting 4-H and FFA we are helping to ensure that it will be an important part of our community in the future.�

Loren Hawkinson, of Valley Irrigation, agreed. “We feel that it’s a good contribution back to community,� said Hawkinson, who’s father Aaron Hawkinson started the tradition of

buying from the 4-H and FFA livestock auction. “We’ve been here 36 years and we’ve been doing it as long as I can remember.�

If they do go on to be farmers, the livestock program at the fair helps instill critical animal husbandry skills, Kurfman added.

In the run-up to the fair, Weber met with some 4-H and FFA clubs to talk about a different set of skills – marketing. “I put on a marketing seminar for the young kids to get them out there and talking to people about the auction and how it helps,�

Weber said. “The idea is to get more bidders there and more buyers as well. It’s a whole community event and it’s good to support because these kids are the next generation of our leaders coming up.�

The support has always been strong and that doesn’t appear to have changed, Koenen said, judging by the early registrations she’s received for the auction, not to mention the donations that have helped renovate some of the barns and those buyers who sign up to take animals that are not champion or reserve champion quality. “We’ve been really blessed and we hope we have a good auction again this year,� she said.

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Fair rodeo put on by one big family WILL MOSS Staff Reporter

There are two things that are virtually synonymous with Western fairs – family and rodeo – and the Jacobs Livestock and Rodeo Company seem to encapsulate both.

Based out of Great Falls, Jacobs has been producing rodeos around the state – including the Ravalli County Fair’s – for nearly 40 years.

Now run by Dick and Teri Jo Lyman, the company provides anything and everything needed to put on a true western rodeo.

“We come in and put on the

whole event ... We bring in all the rough stock, the timed events, we set up the announcer, the timers, judges,” said Dick Lyman. “We bring in the whole crew and put the whole production on ourselves.”

Started in the early ‘70s by the father of Lyman’s stepfather, Bill Jacobs – a trucker who started the company to wait out the slow summer months – the company has been handed down the family line; first to his stepfather, Don, and now to the Lymans themselves.

Today, the Jacobs’ rodeo crew includes the fourth and fifth generation of the family – the Lymans are

Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, August 25, 2010 - 13

the third – including Dick’s four daughters, three of their husbands and all six of the Lyman’s grandkids.

The newest member of the crew was born only a few weeks ago.

“They ain’t quite big enough to do any work yet, but they’re coming and they know what it’s all about,” Lyman said. “They’re on horseback as much as we can get them up there and they enjoy being a part of it.

“We just really try to make it a family affair where everybody is a part of the deal and everybody has got their job to do. Shoot, I tell everybody it’s the only job you can have where you go on vacation every weekend,” he continued. “It’s as good as it gets. My wife and I both are just tickled to death to have them be a part of it.”

At any given time at their Great Falls ranch, the Lymans have about 35-40 head of bulls and around 100 head of horses continuing a 25-year horse breeding program that has produced contenders and champions at the National

Rodeo Association finals in Las Vegas.

Aside from that success, what really keeps the Lymans connected to the

sport and the business is the family nature of it.

“It’s a very family oriented sport,” said Dick. “One of the few sports that I’ve seen

where you have third and fourth generation kids [competing]. They just love being a part of it.”

Reporter Will Moss can be reached at 363-3300 or wmoss@ravallirepublic.com

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Big horses and good mules highlight annual event PERRY BACKUS Ravalli Republic Editor

Ever wonder how folks farmed before there were tractors?

Or how did loggers get all those trees out of the woods?

Or maybe you just like the idea of seeing some true horsepower in action.

If that’s the case, you’ll want to be sure to set aside some time early afternoon on Wednesday, Sept. 1 to be at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds.

At 1 p.m., the Bitterroot Valley Draft Horse and Mule Club will hitch their well-trained draft horses and mules to compete in the fair’s annual Horses and Mules in Harness events.

Stevensville’s Kern Mattei will be there to put his small, but sturdy Haflinger horses through their paces in the obstacle course competition.

Mattei became interested in driving teams about 15 years ago when he bought a mule that had more knowledge about the endeavor than he.

“I knew nothing about driving when I bought this mule,” Mattei said. “About one year after I bought it, I found out it had been used to haul logs.”

He was intrigued and so Mattei found someone to show him how it’s done.

Mattei has been an enthusiast of the truest sense of horsepower ever since.

“I stumbled into it and found it to be a lot of fun,” he said. “A lot of our members have done

the same. It’s a little easier in some ways than pleasure riding.

Some people don’t want to do arena work any more. Some have back problems, which doesn’t allow them to ride any more, but they still want to be around horses or mules.

“This works for them,” he said.

At the competition Wednesday, Mattei said people will see horses and mules being used to pull logs or cultivators through a varieity of courses. Others will guide wagons or buggies through an obstacle course.

“That one is all about showing your control of the team and skill of handling them,” Mattei said. “They will have to back up, turn left or right and cross obstacles. Some will use a single horse attached to a two-wheeled cart. I will use a team attached to a four-wheel cart.”

Throughout the afternoon, Mattei said club members will available to visit.

The club’s purpose for existence is to promote and educate about the use of draft animals historically and today, he said.

“We want to maintain that heritage,” Mattei said. “There are fewer and fewer people using

draft horses on farms and ranches. There’s still some. We have a few members in the club who use horses for haying or manure spreading.”

The club gets together a couple of times a year at those folk’s places to experience that for themselves. Once a month, weather permitting, the club also goes on a pleasure drive in their wagons and buggies through a scenic part of the valley.

“We’re open to new members,” Mattei said.

“All someone needs is to have an interest in driving. We have members who don’t have their own horses. They just want to learn how to drive.”

They come in all ages.

“We even have a 12-year-old boy who came to us with a passion to learn how to drive,” Mattei said. “He’s doing really well. He will be competing at the fair.”

Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, August 25, 2010 - 15

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4-H groups work together to improve fairgrounds WILL MOSS Staff Reporter

There’s nothing like a little elbow grease and some good old fashioned sweat equity to foment a sense of pride in a job well done.

Just ask the Ravalli County 4-H members who have spent the last year fundraising for and implementing a series of site upgrades to the livestock and poultry facilities at the county’s fairgrounds in Hamilton.

Come fair time, many of those kids end up spending quite a bit of time hanging out in those facilities. Whether they’re grooming and feeding their animals or simply waiting around for their moment with the judges, the condition of their surroundings has an impact on both the attitude and safety of the 4-Hers and their animals.

According to MSU Extension Agent and 4-H Coordinator Katelyn Anderson, while there have been a lot of volunteers and 4-H leaders contributing to the projects, much of the work has come from the kids themselves.

“The kids have gotten really excited,” Anderson said. “We’ve gone down there a couple of

days to help, but it wouldn’t be done without the kids and the leaders.”

Labeled BarnQuest, the effort consists of a series of maintenance projects that have improved nearly every barn at the fairgrounds.

In the poultry barn, there are new pens to hold the clucking, squawking menagerie. The dairy and goat barn has received a fresh coat of paint, as have all the goat pens.

The beef barn won’t get a fresh coat of paint until the fall, but the group did bring in a pile of gravel that they used to resurface the long-worn floor.

“After years and years of use the dirt just kind of brushes away, so we’re putting in a new fill for the entire barn,” Anderson said.

The area that has received the most attention is the sheep and swine barn and the adjoining Hornung Arena.

The animal washing area in that barn was reconfigured, with the help of a 4-H leader with welding experience, to remove a low hanging wash stand that was an impediment to the flow of foot traffic.

“That was just more from a risk management standpoint

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where, if something happened, the kids would need to get out fast,” Anderson explained.

Also in that barn, the kids washed and scraped every pen in preparation for a fresh primer job.

“In theory, it sounds really simple, but when you have over a hundred individual pens, that’s a lot of square footage to cover,” Anderson said.

“Now it looks really, really clean.”

And in the Hornung Arena itself, new lights have been installed to create a better-lit space that can also be used for evening presentations.

Anderson noted that they had received a generous showing of community and volunteer support in tackling the projects.

“Various people and 4-H clubs have given donations and the volunteer service and support that we’ve had has just been tremendous,” she said.

4-H Fair Livestock Administrator Mary Koenen thinks that the upgrades will not only make the facilities more pleasant to be in and safer, but will also create a stronger connection between the kids and their community.

“It gives the kids a sense of ownership in the buildings and the fairgrounds. I heard kids say, ‘wow ... I painted all those pens.’ And it’s going to come back to them when they’re older and visit,” Koenen said. “That’s what we’re trying to do, is give these kids some ownership in their community.”

Reporter Will Moss can be reached at 363-3300 or wmoss@ravallirepublic.com

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20 - Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Fair Foundation off to a good start PERRY BACKUS Ravalli Republic Editor

In its second year, the Ravalli County Fair Foundation is already making a difference at the fairgrounds. “We were able to bring in over $12,000 the first year,� said Fair Manager Deb Rogalla. “We did a lot of fascia work at the fairgrounds with that funding.�

Some of that money was also used to chip in toward the cost of planting a new row of trees along Fairgrounds Road that will be enjoyed for the next century of fairgoers.

The fair board created the foundation last year in an effort to strengthen its fund-raising efforts.

The foundation allows the fair to qualify for a broader range of major contributions from corporations, government programs and philanthropic groups. The money raised will be used for capital improvements and special projects not cov-

ered by the operating budget. “Just like any other government entity or non-profit organization, we struggle with finding a way to fund all the different needs here at the fairgrounds,� Rogalla said. “The foundation is one way we can address some of those needs.�

The fascia project is a good example.

Every barn at the fairgrounds had wooden fascia that was beginning to show its age. It was a time consuming process for fair crews and volunteers to keep up with the general maintenance on all that woodwork.

This year, the aged wooden boards have been replaced with metal fascia. “It was something that needed to happen,� Rogalla said. “We were looking at having considerable water damage on all the buildings if that work hadn’t been accomplished.�

That’s just one of many projects

around the fairgrounds that are in need of some immediate attention.

This year the fair board has its eyes set on sprucing up the grandstand bleachers. “It’s been a long time since the bleachers were painted,� Rogalla said. “We’re not really sure when they were painted last. They really need a new coat of paint.�

The plan calls for offering folks a chance to help get the grandstands painted one foot at a time.

The board plans to figure out just how much it costs to paint a foot of the grandstands. When people donate toward the project, they’ll know just how many feet of grandstand will look nicer because of their efforts.

The fair board is also looking to build a new pavilion using some of the large trees cut down earlier this year along Fairgrounds Road.

Hamilton’s Timber Builders will help make the project a reality.

Rogalla said the fair board hasn’t

quite decided exactly where the new pavilion will be located. That decision will be made during an upcoming planning process that will offer opportunities for the public to share their views.

If people are interested in learning more about the fair foundation, they can stop in and visit the foundation’s booth under the grandstand during the fair. “We’ll have a little information on the pavilion and the grandstands at the booth,� Rogalla said. “There will be some forms there that people can take home and study.�

All four nights of the fair, foundation members will also be selling 50/50 tickets.

The foundation is a non-profit organization. “Every foundation is established to provide a way for people to support the things they love,� Rogala said. “This is a way for people to leave a little bit of themselves at the fairgrounds.�

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Free stage moves to new location at this year’s fair SEPP JANNOTTA Staff Reporter

The KLYQ Free Stage at the Ravalli County Fair has always been something of a melting pot, says Steve Fullerton, and that is its beauty. “The people we have on stage are your neighbors and that’s the trick,� says Fullerton, who coordinates the goings-on at the free stage and works as operations manager at KLYQ Radio.

This year the stage will be set in a bigger pavillion at the north end of the fairgrounds by the shade trees and will offer some new food vendors set up in the area. “We wanted to create a new island of entertainment in what is one of the nicest areas of the fairgrounds with the grass and the shade,� said Deb Rogala, fairgrounds manager.

There will still be some entertainment happening back down toward the carnival, however, with Freddie Prez and his stage hitting fair-goers with multiple shows a day and offering a variety of all-ages fun besides, from Guitar Hero live to a host of lip synch contests to karaoke for seniors to the toilet paper blowout to the SpongeBob

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22 - Ravalli Republic, Wednesday, August 25, 2010

SquarePants game show.

But the more folksy entertainment will rule, as it always does, at the free stage, where performers will bring everything from the one-man band to dancers of various stripe to accordion and a cappella groups to full-blown country and rock groups.

The performers work for free of course.

But Fullerton says that doesn’t mean they aren’t professional caliber.

“Some pros come just to share their talent,” Fullerton said. “But the main part are people up there just for performing whether they’re dancers or singers.”

The beauty is in knowing that some are up there giving their all for the first time on a public stage, Fullerton said.

“And the ones who really excite me are the ones who’ve never done it before and just shine up there on the free stage,” Fullerton said.

KLYQ Free Stage at Ravalli County Fair Wednesday, Sept. 2 1 p.m. – Boots & Calico Square Dancers 2 p.m. – 5 Valley Accordions & the Kitchen Band

4 p.m. – Billy Angus 5 p.m. – Boots & Calico Square Dancers 6 p.m. – John Capen – Gospel Country Thursday, Sept. 3 1 p.m. – Country Step Cloggers 2 p.m. – Rick Lane – acoustic guitar 3 p.m. – 4-H Demonstrations 4 p.m. – Ballet Bitterroot 5 p.m. – Charade – acapella quartet 6 p.m. – All Things Pertaining…group Friday, Sept. 4 1 p.m. – Country Step Cloggers 2 p.m. – The Swingaderos 3 p.m. – Bev Whelehon 4 p.m. – Ballet Bitterroot 5 p.m. – Louise Lockhart 6 p.m. – Cabin Fever - band Saturday, Sept. 5 1 p.m. – Groovs – Dance studio dancers 2 p.m. – Bob Adkins and Country Step Cloggers 3 p.m. – Bitterroot Community Band 4 p.m. – Montana Acapella Society 5-7 p.m. – Blue Melon

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Schedule of events Sunday, August 29 Noon-6 p.m. – Open still exhibits due (First Interstate Building)

Tuesday, August 31 Noon to 6 p.m. – Open floral exhibits due(West gate, South door/Old Floral Building.)

8 p.m. – Livestock must be in barns

Wednesday, September 1 10 a.m. – Fair Parade (Main Street, Hamilton) 2 p.m. – Carnival opens 6 p.m. – Cake, Cookie and Pie Auction 6 p.m. – Grandstand night show featuring the PolyJesters and Chance McKinney with Crosswire

Thursday, September 2 9 a.m. – Kiddie Poultry Show (Poultry Barn) 10 a.m. – Open Poultry

Show (Poultry Barn) 1 p.m. – Ravalli County Youth Invitational Rodeo (Grandstand arena) 1 p.m. – Carnival opens 6 p.m. – Kiddie Kalf Klass (Iman Arena) 6 p.m. – Calamity Jane “Snippits” (Performed by Bitterroot Ballet) 7 p.m. – Bull-A-Rama (Grandstand arena)

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