This is a follow-up to our story from May 16 #nwmt.
Last month, Sam Nunnally, Flathead County Fairgrounds Manager, was spending thousands of dollars and countless hours removing trash and debris left scattered across the Fairgrounds. Now, Sam says he’s “really happy with what has changed here. It's safer for everyone."
A quick drive around the Fairgrounds shows great improvement from the last visit. Horse stalls are free from leftover food and blankets, bushes -- where people had been hiding – are thinned, and the tall grass that could hide movement had been mowed. The difference: Overnight camping is allowed only during special events and gates remain locked except for the main entrance. “It was a tough decision for us to make,” explained Sam. “But it was necessary to keep our non-paying visitors from making the grounds a permanent home.”
Now that the crew isn’t spending each day checking stalls and replacing locks, they spend their time preparing for the Fair and other major events that visitors enjoy. Sam’s team has even had time to uncover long-lost treasures buried in weeds, under the stadium seats, and hiding in other buildings. “You know those types of items we never seem to throw away because we’re saving? No more. We’ll sell, donate, or repurpose what we no longer need or use. We just haven’t had the time to get to do proper maintenance because we were always in clean-up mode.”
As a reminder, the Northwest Montana Fair runs August 16-20, 2023.