The Western Montana Fair: An Enterprise-Wide Event

As you've seen throughout the month of August, an exceptional amount of work and year-long (if not years-long) planning goes into making the Western Montana Fair a success. Our Fairgrounds Director, Todd Garrett, and his senior staff, including Tracy Mullennix and Pirrie Harris, work with vendors, community groups, nonprofit organizations, contractors, rodeo personnel and countless others to organize the many diverse facets of the Fair. While the event itself may only span one week of the calendar year, it requires continual efforts to ensure that week is enjoyable for all who visit and participate in the Western Montana Fair.

Dedicated Western Montana Fair and Events Center staff are knowledgeable, courteous and put in enumerable hours of work finalizing contracts, setting up the grounds, organization groups and training/coordinating volunteers. They are the face of the Fair. However, there is no way they could possibly do their job without the assistance of other Missoula County departments along the way.

While walking the grounds, you  likely noticed that some buildings have been moved and/or renovated. The grounds were clean and well maintained. The Fair Office was air conditioned. Fences were repaired and buildings were painted. This work didn't happen overnight. Our Facilities Management staff have been working nearly around the clock all year to improve the grounds for public and staff use. They worked to ensure the office was ADA accessible and included an entrance and exit to better accommodate the flow of foot traffic in and out of the building.

They also had decided staff on the grounds throughout Fair week to manage all other miscellaneous tasks: ranging from post-storm set-up of tents, to air conditioning/cooler maintenance, to maintaining working bathroom facilities for public use. They worked with waste disposal vendors to ensure garbage was collected frequently. Staff has continued working at the Fairgrounds post-event to clean all buildings and public areas and to make improvements to the grounds for the many functions that occur each and every week.

In addition to Facilities Management staff, the Missoula City-County Health Department plays a tremendous role in keeping public health and safety the top priority. Environmental Health inspectors work with each and every vendor to ensure food is being prepared, cleaned, stored and served safely. They provide training to vendors and those handling food to share their expertise in food safety. The Health Department continually performs checks throughout the week to sustain high standards. Health staff also share their findings with other Missoula County staff and keep the media informed of their findings and processes.

Because the public's health and safety are our top priorities, the role of the Missoula County Sheriff's Office and the City of Missoula Police are invaluable. Not only do these agencies provide security to the public, staff and the grounds, they keep a watchful eye on conditions. Missoula County was experiencing storms on Monday of the Fair. Along with the Missoula County Office of Emergency Management staff, officials were working together to gauge the constantly shifting conditions to keep those in attendance safe. Emergency evacuation plans were reviewed by all and shared with senior staff had an emergent situation arose. Thankfully, despite some unfavorable weather days and a strong storm, no one - including animals were harmed.

The need to share important updates, such as pending  weather or evacuation protocols, is immediate and crucial during Fair week. Communications channels have to be working properly for staff to best serve the public. Our Technology department added WiFi, additional computers and phone lines. They were also at the ready in case any of these vehicles were not working properly.

The Auditor's Office processes all payroll and payments. The County Attorney's Office reviews contracts. The Commissioners visit the grounds seeking feedback from the public, vendors and staff to identify ways we can always be improving. Communications staff help to answer inquiry and disseminate timely information. Staff volunteer to work the ticket booth or in the parking lot.

It takes a tremendous County-wide effort to put on the Fair. We have an incredible staff, spanning all departments, who pitch in where and how they can to provide a service to their community. We hope you enjoyed the 2015 Western Montana Fair!