Letter to the Editor - Support the fair with your vote

Editor,

Our Great Northern Fairgrounds holds a special place in everyone’s heart.

Not one of us who has been here long does not have a fond memory of the fair or using the grounds in some way. It may be 4-H, rodeo, derby, Indian relay races, auctions, car shows, Rod Run, the beer gardens — whatever it is, the fairgrounds is the heart of our community.

We simply do not adequately fund our fairgrounds. It is impossible to make improvements with the limited funding available. Therefore, every year our fairgrounds becomes more and more run down. Other communities, smaller communities, have fairgrounds to be proud of. Our fairgrounds receives less funding than all surrounding counties. The fair board’s budget receives $3,100 in county tax dollars a year, one-tenth of one mill. Blaine County’s fair receives $37,000 a year; Dodson $70,000; Chouteau County more than $105,000, and Toole County $120,000.

We as a community have an obligation to leave our kids better facilities than we inherited. To not provide funding for our fairgrounds is unacceptable. We need to step up and make sure that our children and their children have a fairgrounds to use. We need to do something about the condition of the fairgrounds now. It is our moral obligation to leave something better than how we received it. Your vote matters. This mill levy is the first step to turning our fair and fairgrounds around. Let’s get them fixed up and create a fairgrounds that people can be proud of and want to use. Let’s leave something better than how we found it rather than the other way around.

For less than the cost of two gallons of gas a year, we can provide the fairgrounds with the support it deserves — 4 mills is about $5 to every $100,000 of taxable property evaluation.

This money is for long-overdue improvements. Please join me in supporting the mill levy for the fairgrounds.

Please vote.

Micah Gibson

Havre