Dear Editor,
On behalf of the Ravalli County Fair Commission I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make the 2011 Ravalli County Fair one of the best ever. We celebrate summer’s bounty at fair, showcasing our prized flowers, jams, livestock projects, and more. It’s a time for youth to re-unite with friends as they begin another school year; time for neighbors to chat while enjoying great fair food; time for 4-H kids to shed a tear as they bid farewell to their animals; time for great rodeo, music and dancing; a time to come together and celebrate what makes our community special.
Fair is what we in the office call a 10,000 detail event. We strive to provide a quality experience for all fair-goers and deal with issues courteously despite lack of sleep over the extended work weeks leading up to and including fair. We are thankful for the generosity of our sponsors who make all things possible, for the charitable organizations and local businesses who staff the food booths, for beautiful and creative entries in all categories; for barn, building and department staff, the premium office ladies, the rodeo committee, RC Sheriff Department, Hamilton City Police, RC 4-H; for community groups who help with parking, trash, set up & tear down, ticketing and security; to the pink lady and blue man for keeping our bathrooms fresh, and to the many, many volunteers without whom the show would not go on. We are also thankful for everyone who attends and helps to make fair the best time of the year in the Bitterroot.
Fair started for me this year when a young chicken handler proclaimed “Daddy, Missy’s happy, she laid an egg.” It ended on a beautiful Saturday evening of ‘rodeo hopes and ribbon hopes’ fulfilled.
Deborah Rogala, Director
Ravalli County Fairgrounds