Grandstand Upgrade In Time For The August 4 Fair And Rodeo
 | Author:
Nancy Marks
Nancy Marks: MT43 News Secretary and News Editor |
Broadwater County Sheriff Wynn Meehan has been working two jobs lately. He is also the President of the Rodeo Board. These last few weeks he has been working full time to repair the Rodeo grandstand in preparation for the upcoming rodeo Aug. 4. He has worked part-time at his day job so he could work on the rodeo grounds project.
The weeks-long project is completed except for painting. According to Meehan, the grandstand walkway which is not covered by the roof had rotted out. The original boards were nailed in, not screwed down, with all different sizes of nails.
“Some of the nails were six inches long, some were two inches long so it made for a slow-going removal of the old timers’ nail choices,” he said.
Wynn and his crew, Shane Romo, Kimo Kalawai-a and Cory Seevers replaced 105 2x8 boards. When finished they did the “fat guy approval test, so those boards ought to last our lifetime,” Wynn said.
The lumber was donated by Jacob Weaver from the Amish community. As a thank you, the Rodeo Board will donate Weaver a rodeo arena sign.
Wynn explained about sixty different sponsors pay for the rodeo grounds upkeep. Most of those sponsors are showcased on signs around the rodeo arena. Broadwater 4-H clubs work on special projects such as painting all the grandstands under the leadership of Josie Reynolds and Becky Flynn.
“The ladies were pretty upset when after the grandstand painting was completed, we got busy and tore up the boards they had just finished painting,” he said, “They’ll get back to painting the new work as soon as they can.”
The rodeo grandstand was originally built in 1964 according to an Aug. 6, 1964, Townsend Star article. Rodeo and Fair Association President Frank Blaisdell estimated over 100 people turned out to finish the project. In 1965 workmen completed a 60-foot extension on the north end of the grandstand, stretching seating capacity to 1,500 people.
Wynn and crew also overhauled the beer garden building with a new counter space and cash till stand. “With five people working in such a small space, they were tripping over each other trying to get to ice and beer and the cash till,” he explained. The rodeo board sold somewhere near $10,000 worth of beer at the 2021 Saturday night concert, he added.
Wynn thanked all the volunteers who worked on the upgrade and his co-workers at the Sheriff’s department for taking up the slack while he has been at the Fairgrounds.
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PhotoCredit: Nancy Marks
Image 1 Caption: Wynn Meehan
