Montana
With Grandstand Rated in ‘Fair Condition,’ Northwest Montana Fair, Summer Concerts to Proceed – Flathead Beacon
The schedule of shows expected to fill up the covered grandstand at the Flathead County Fairgrounds this summer will go on, following some repairs to enhance the integrity of the century-old structure. On July 8, construction crews will begin the first phase of work to extend the life of the venue’s primary seating area, “ensuring it remains a community hub for many years to come,” according to a county press release, which announced that the Northwest Montana Rodeo and summer concerts will proceed as planned.
In May, county officials announced the closure of the covered grandstand, and the north bleachers, after a preliminary safety inspection found significant signs of deterioration of the wooden framing and beams. The inspection came as part of a long-planned project to demolish and rebuild the north bleachers, which will remain closed this summer.
Fairgrounds Manager Sam Nunnally said in an interview that the structure will be removed after the Northwest Montana Fair concludes in August; it will be replaced with a new aluminum and steel bleacher set.
On June 13, specialists from Martin Consulting Engineers conducted a detailed onsite visual assessment of the grandstand and its supporting framework in accordance with the International Code Council (ICC). The inspection report concluded that the observable portions of the structure are in “fair condition,” and although there are no areas considered “an immediate life safety concern,” several sections require immediate repairs and maintenance to eliminate potential hazards and maintain the structure’s integrity.
“We got the inspection report back and there are a few things we absolutely have to make safe in order to use the grandstands again,” fairgrounds manager Sam Nunnally told the Beacon. “There’s a couple things we need to address — bracing up the north wall of the grandstands, a little bit of bracing underneath the roof itself. Not enough to cause a structural question, but enough that we want to make sure there’s nothing falling on people.”
The list of immediate repairs includes replacing loose and split bridging elements found throughout the grandstand canopy; bracing the north wall of the grandstand, which leans outward from the structure; and closing or rebuilding an office storage room that has “failed structurally,” but does not impact the grandstand’s operability. The report also notes that the vomitorium stairs leading to the office building inside the grandstand are deteriorated to the point of requiring full replacement and should be closed until repairs can be made.
Nunnally said there is a tiered checklist of work to be done with next month’s construction addressing the most immediate concerns, followed by projects to tackle within the next two years.
According to the report, a number of high-priority repairs will be required to address structural concerns within the next year, including replacing rotted and split two-by-four boards that support the structure, installing support elements where they are missing, replacing boards throughout the seating area, replacing the stair treads to meet ICC standards, and rebuilding the railing walls at the base of the grandstand.
“Safety is the number one thing for us, and we wouldn’t let people back in the grandstands if that was a concern,” Nunnally said.
Per the ICC, all “existing bleachers, folding and telescopic seating, and grandstands” require annual inspections. According to Nunnally, however, he cannot find any documentation of a structural inspection for the grandstand or the north bleachers.
Over the last decade, the fair board, on which Nunnally served prior to becoming fairgrounds manager, understood the 60-year-old north bleachers needed to be replaced and began saving for renovations. That reconstruction project kicked off over the winter, which was when the extent of the grandstand deterioration came to light.
Nunnally is confident the repairs will go forward as planned and hopes that renovations over the next few years will keep the historic structure preserved for generations to come.
“The fair started in 1902, so for 122 years this is where people have come together as a community. We have multiple generations coming to these fairgrounds every year and I don’t want to lose sight of that,” Nunnally said. “I would hate to have our historic grandstand no longer part of Kalispell and this community. If we can keep them and preserve, that’s what my goal is. But at the same time, I have to respect that if we can’t do that safely, we can’t do it at all.”
The latest updates can be found on the Flathead County Fairgrounds website.
We are so excited to be teaming up with our friends over at Kenyon Noble and having our annual 100 Days Of Summer event.
The most asked question during this event is: “What are the prizes?!” Hold your horses, my friends, I am about to show you. Every week I will let you know what is up for grabs that week and how you can get qualified to win. Hint hint…you will have multiple opportunities to score these prizes.
Week Six Prize:
Weber Q 1200 Grill
Go hiking in nature with a grill as vibrant as the scenery. Travel on or off the beaten path, camp in the woods or near the water. Explore the world with big taste and your Q 1200 portable gas grill by your side.
With Kenyon Noble’s garden center open, you will be able to find all of the most colorful flowers you desire. They even have starter plants for peppers, peas, tomatoes and more. You can grab all the supplies you need for your home or garden, or shop at Kenyon Noble.
Every week we will let you know what prize is up for winning and how you can quickly get in on the fun. All you have to do is, download the XL Country App so you are on top of our 100 Days of Summer Code Words, listen for the keyword, and then enter it in. That’s it! You can also enter your key word below! Good Luck!
cc: Kenyon Noble, Kenyon Noble Summer 2024
The Best “Old School” Diners In Montana
For those who love a walk down memory lane, Montana has more than a couple of “Old School” diners that have been serving locals and visitors across The Treasure State for decades. We take a look at the very best.
Gallery Credit: Derek Wolf
Male American (Northern) Goshawk. Public domain.
On June 27, 2024, a federal court halted an illegal logging project on federal public lands in the Little Belt Mountains of Montana.
The Alliance for the Wild Rockies and Native Ecosystems Council filed their lawsuit to stop the Horsefly project in the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest in April 2021. The project called for cutting and burning trees on 10,343 acres, which is more than 16 square miles. To enable the logging, the agency planned on bulldozing a stunning 40.7 miles of new logging roads in the Little Belt Mountains north of White Sulphur Springs, Montana.
The scope of the massive Horsefly landscape-altering proposal is alarming and because the project violated federal law, it had to be enjoined.
The Forest Service used a number of euphemisms in a transparent attempt to disguise what used to be more honestly called logging. For instance, the agency called 3,278 acres of commercial logging ‘intermediate treatment,’ 1,049 acres of clearcutting ‘regeneration harvest,’ 409 acres of clearcutting and possible burning ‘meadow restoration,’ and 465 acres of non-commercial logging ‘rearrangement of fuels’. They’re ‘rearranging’ them alright: from forest ecosystems to stump fields.
This is an ecosystem, not a private tree farm, and so we have to maintain the habitat for sensitive wildlife species. One of those species is the northern goshawk, which has been declining in population, and which the forest plan lists as an old-growth forest management indicator species. Due to the importance of this species, the law requires 100% of goshawk nets to be monitored annually.
In 2018, the entire Forest was surveyed for goshawks and the Forest Service found an alarming 47% decline in active goshawk nests, which the agency failed to disclose to the public in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Forest Management Act. The agency also ignored its own Forest Plan requirement to issue an evaluation report if active nests decline by 10%.”
The Court’s ruling was very straightforward on the failure of the Forest Service to follow the law. As the Order reads: “The Court agrees with Alliance that the Forest Service’s failure to disclose and evaluate the decline in active goshawk nesting territories violated both NFMA and NEPA. . . . Federal Defendants all but concede that the Forest Service’s failure to disclose the decrease in active goshawk nesting territories to the public in the EA and failure to comply with the Forest Plan requirement to conduct an evaluation report if active nests decline by 10% amounts to a violation of NFMA.” Yet the Forest Service continues to log the last remaining mature and old growth forests and goshawks are in trouble.
The Court’s order remanded the project authorization to the agency, and enjoined the project pending compliance with federal law. We follow the law every day, and the Forest Service must also follow the law. When a government agency violates the law, it must be held accountable in court. It’s not easy to fight the federal government, which has far more resources than we do, but nonetheless we are committed to making the government follow its own laws to protect our native wildlife and public land ecosystems. Despite attacks by politicians, intimidation tactics, and misinformation campaigns, we won’t be stopped. We are determined to continue with this critical work.
Please consider helping us continue to fight to protect old growth forests and make the Forest Service follow the law.
MISSOULA — The search for a boater in trouble on Flathead Lake continues.
Lake County Sheriff Don Bell has identified the missing person as 34-year-old Chad Hansen from Missoula.
He was last seen in the area north of Little Bull Island and south of Safety Bay.
Hansen became separated from his boat and witnesses who tried to help him weren’t able to.
Based on the accounts gathered from witnesses it is believed that he has died of drowning, a news release states.
Teams from Lake County, Flathead County, Missoula County, and Kootenai County, Idaho, are searching Flathead Lake in an effort to find Hansen.
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