MISSOULA — Missoula County commissioners are confident sponsors will step forward to help 4H kids, and make up some of the revenue lost by canceling this year's Western Montana Fair.
As we reported earlier this week, commissioners decided to scrub most of the fair Monday after weeks of trying to come up with a plan to have the event and still be safe with the pandemic.
The step means all the public events, from rides to the rodeo won't happen. But some events will proceed for 4H. That's going to cost money though, and commissioners have allocated 20-thousand dollars.
Missoula County Commissioner Josh Slotnick is confident sponsors will step forward to help defray some of the expenses.
"Oh exactly. I mean we're not selling concessions the way we were selling concessions before, by a lot. So we have this hole. But we think we're going to be able to make it up through sponsorships and donations, that the community will come out strong in support of 4H and these kids," he said.
The Montana State Fair in Great Falls canceled its event several weeks ago. The Northwest Montana Fair in Kalispell is still being planned.