One Nation, Under God
Ever since a windstorm hit the Hi-Line on Tuesday, April 5 and 6, the state of the Phillips County Fair Grandstands has been in question.
A few weeks ago, the Fair Board told the PCN that the upper area of the Grandstands would be removed. Last Thursday, July 14, Phillips County Commissioner John Carnahan stopped in to confirm that the removal had begun.
"The Grandstands have been condemned, so they are going to be removed," Phillips County Commissioner John Carnahan told the PCN. "The county has purchased Phillips County Motorsports grandstands at this time and they will be moved up and set up for this show and everything else."
In addition to the noticeable wind damage, the Grandstands which were set up over 100 years ago, showed signs that they should be replaced.
"It's rotten," Carnahan said of the stands. "It's old. A lot of it was built in late 1916, and then added on to."
Starting last week, the Grandstands have been carefully removed, piece by piece. After removal, the PC Motorsports grandstands, which seats 850 people, will be headed to the fairgrounds, along with another seating area that may be salvaged from the fairgrounds.
"That would probably hold another 150 people," Carnahan said. "When we sell tickets for the shows, there is usually anywhere from 400 to 700 people. We should have adequate seating for everything."
Carnahan said that the Fair Board has done a great job in dealing with the crisis.
"They have relocated what would normally be held underneath the grandstands into other buildings," Carnahan said. "As of right now, the fair is going on 100 percent and everything will be ready by the time that the fair gets here."
As far as future plans for seating, Commissioner Carnahan and the Phillips County Fairboard will consult with Fallon County, who had a similar incident.
For now, Montana's Longest Continuous Running Fair is setting up to open its 107th annual event. The PC Fair starts on Thursday, August 4, and will conclude on Sunday, August 7.
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