Fairgrounds expansion project awaits close of escrow

RONAN - A longtime dream to expand the Lake County Fair in Ronan is just a hog's breath away as officials from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, City of Ronan and Lake County eagerly await the close of escrow on a 62-acre parcel.

The acreage, located southeast of the intersection of Main Street and Mink Lane, is near the Future Farmers of America stockyard and north of rarely used city ball fields.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes will purchase half of the land -31 acres on the north end of the parcel - and the south 31 acres will be purchased jointly by Lake County and the City of Ronan.

Representatives from the tribes, city and county have been negotiating the buy-sell for about one year, according to Lake County Commissioner Paddy Trusler.

"All signatures are on paper and the legal department of the Tribes is reviewing it," Trusler said. "It's like standing at the front door and looking in, but you can't go in yet."

Today, the population of Lake County has more than doubled, yet the fairground offers limited space for the increasing number of exhibits, vendors and attendees.

Although the new facility will benefit the entire county, county tax dollars will not be used to purchase the property, according to Trusler. About $35,000 per year, generated through a mil levy, is currently used to offset costs to run the event, but will not be used toward the land purchase.

The county/city parcel will be purchased with private trust fund money and a $30,000 contribution from the Lower Flathead Valley Community Foundation.

"The foundation board in general thought it was in keeping with the mission statement to bring two cultures together and help with the quality of life in the community," John Schnase, secretary of the Foundation, explained.

Five or six years ago, Schnase and Ronan Mayor Kim Aipperspach began looking for a chunk of land in town and close to services to create a new fairground. Offers were made on three or four other places, but they didn't work out. When the current 62-acre parcel became available, the two entities started talking to representatives from the Tribes and county.

"We got all these groups together, and by golly, they all wanted the same thing," Aipperspach said.

Volunteers have shown "exceptional interest" in helping with the infrastructure and topographic details of creating a new fairground, Trusler said. Even some staff and personnel from Montana State University have offered to create a conceptual model, or mock up, of the new grounds that can be taken to the public for input, which will be the next stage in the planning process.

"Someone will come in with some good ideas that didn't even dawn on us," Aipperspach said. "We'll also leave some area for future expansion."

Organizers hope to create a versatile fairground with plenty of parking, a midway with games and carnival rides, a rodeo arena and an indoor pavilion. The facility could be used daily and year-round for rodeos, swap meets, concerts, livestock sales, and youth activities.

The tribes' 31 acres could offer cultural activities, and hold a powwow concurrently with the Lake County Fair while tribal vendors sell food and products on their 31 acres.

"We'll try to develop the property cooperatively (with the tribes) so we don't duplicate some features," Trusler said. "That's kind of our theme: cooperation, not competition."

Carole Langford, secretary of the tribal council, said plans are not set in stone for the tribe's 31-acre parcel, but possibilities have been discussed, including a powwow grounds, and other youth facilities to hold 3-on-3 basketball tournaments and perhaps a rodeo.

They have also considered the possibly of moving the tribal health headquarters and the Head start program to the site, under one roof to save money in operations and maintenance. Those facilities will eventually be displaced by U.S. 93 expansion. But there are concerns that the facilities will be on the west side of the highway while most tribal housing is on the east side.

"We'll hold public meetings and get a good discussion on what (the tribal members) thoughts are, and those decisions would be made wholly by the tribes," she said. "We hope to have everything in one complex, centrally located, that would do a lot for the community, and hopefully for the economy of Ronan."

The current fairground, located adjacent to Ronan High School, was built in 1963. Until 10 years ago, the event was called the Lake County Junior Fair. Although the "junior" has been dropped, the fair is still largely agriculture related, offering primarily farm and ranch competitions and sales. Later, Pioneer Days organizers joined the event, offering food concessions, a kiddies parade, a city slicker rodeo, cow-milking contests, and a tug-o-war.

"The fair is still a little on the old-fashioned side," Aipperspach said.

Yet the nostalgic charm of the fair won't be lost on the new location. Games will continue, such as the pig scramble, where greased pigs were placed in an arena with children, and whoever caught the pig brought it home.

"Some parents were surprised and had to build a pen that night," Schnase said, laughing.

The new grounds would offer space for additional vendors, who pay a portion of their profits to the fair. The more vendors a fair can attract, the more money the fair brings in.

Ronan school officials have expressed interest in purchasing the old fairgrounds, which sit next to the high school and elementary school sites, for expanding their schools' facilities.

"At this point, we are closely following the progress … and we would be interested in seeing potential acquisition of the property," Andy Holmlund, superintendent of the Ronan/Pablo School District #30. "But there are no dealings yet, nothing formal. We don't know the price, and that's where we have to start. We'd take it to the school board and see if it's feasible under the budget limitations. But it would definitely benefit the schools and community."

Once escrow has closed and the new property is acquired, the project will probably take about five years to complete.

"It's not going to be: snap your fingers, and 'boom,' it's built overnight," Aipperspach said.

This year, the Lake County Fair begins Wednesday, Aug. 4 and continues with Pioneer Days through Sunday, Aug. 8.