Ravalli County Fairgrounds

photo ourtesy eliss s ille

Busy year at the Ravalli County Fairgrounds

By Allen Bier go

This past year has been a busy one for the Ravalli County Fairgrounds and fair staff.

We installed a new roof and new windows on the Beef Barn and painted the inside; installed a new roof on the Sheep and Swine Barn; and installed new windows and made roof repairs to the Poultry & Dairy Barn; and installed new lighting in the Rabbit Barn. Every barn on the fairgrounds had some type of electrical issue that was repaired. The Art Building received a paint make over – floor to ceiling. The Commercial Building’s floors were painted and the roof repaired. The under-the-grandstand vendor area was repaired and painted. New asphalt and electrical upgrades improved Food Row. The rodeo sky boxes and bucking chutes received a new coat of purple paint and a new East gate and a gate for antique machinery on the north Ssde were installed.

We installed dog waste stations around the fairgrounds (please use them). We built and/or repurposed displays for open class exhibits. All this work not only takes staff time but help from our dedicated volunteers. A lot of volunteers.

This past year the fairgrounds instituted a new program. Volunteer for four hours at the fairgrounds and receive a free day pass to the Fair. We had over 300 volunteers put in over 5,000 volunteer hours.

They did everything from picking rock to weeding. Parents brought their children to earn their day pass. It’s known as giving back to your community. It takes a community to make a great county fair. And a great fair it was.

The other new program was “Come to the Fair for Lunch.” Between 11 am-2 pm pay to enter fair then eat your fill of fair food and if you leave by 2 pm you get your entrance fee back. It’s a win-win. We had several new superintendents this past year that came through with flying colors. They had a vision for their departments and it was awe inspiring to see them fulfill them. Most of the First Interstate Building really did start looking like an old fashioned country mercantile. The general public has very little idea how many hours it does take to transform that building into what it looks like at fair.

The 2019 Fair had the biggest gate…ever! It had the largest sale of carnival tickets…ever!! Food vendor’s dollar amounts were up across the board. Exhibits were up. We had 8,362 exhibits for fairgoers to feast their eyes upon.

So here is our challenge to you; enter the Ravalli County Fair in 2020. Enter that favorite photo of the grandkids, the apron you made for mom, the dill pickles your family loves, those flowers from your yard, or those tomatoes from your garden. There is a category for almost anything. Enter the fair and become part of the fair fabric that brings the community together for four magical days. It doesn’t cost you anything to enter an exhibit. Just follow the rules in the Exhibitors Handbook. And to let you in on a secret... if you win a ribbon, you get a premium, as in money and you get bragging rights for a whole year.

So in 2020 it’s a date. Come play with us!