PLAINS — Thousands of people made their way to Plains over the weekend for the Sanders County Fair, a weekend with rides rodeos and many more activities for people to enjoy.
A fair in a small county such as this one means a lot to the people who live in the community. Melissa Cady the fair’s manager explains.
“It brings a lot of economy into the county, people come in from all over the place Idaho, Washington, a lot of people come from Missoula so it just helps most of these vendors are all local. Local to Kalispell or around here.”
However, this fair helps contribute to more than the economy… it also gives people the opportunity to raise money for non-profits like Hope for Harlee, which was founded after six-year-old Harlee Salmi passed away from a pediatric brain tumor.
Now every year since the foundation’s inception Harlee’s mother Taylor, along with family and volunteers, sell burgers at the fair donating 100% of proceeds to families fighting pediatric cancer.
She says the fair helps raise money to support 24 families in Montana and that it was the support from people during her battle that inspired her to help others.
“Individuals were so generous and made our life so much easier and less stressful by sending us money and gifts and cards Just that generosity that we found through our journey made us want to pay that forward that were battling and going through the same thing.”
More information about Hope for Harlee can be found at https://www.hopeforharlee.org/
