Missoula County Fairgrounds — Attraction in Missoula

We recently stayed at the Missoula Fairgrounds for a wedding on-site that, despite being a beautiful and expensive event, was overshadowed by one individual: Monty, the head groundskeeper. I’m not sure what the job description entails, but “customer service” and “basic decency” must not have made the cut.

From the first phone call (where he was inexplicably rude to my boyfriend trying to make a reservation), to each in-person encounter, Monty’s behavior was consistently unprofessional, dismissive, and frankly baffling. He acted like we were trespassing—despite having paid to be there. He denied us access to power hookups (even though we paid nightly and had previously stayed there with horses), yelled at us for walking our dogs in a completely empty field, and sternly informed us that we weren’t allowed to walk anywhere outside our designated parking patch of burnt grass—even though the entire facility was virtually empty.

Speaking of that parking spot, he insisted we camp on a dusty corner of dead grass on the side of a lot, while the usual RV areas remained mysteriously vacant. It felt like a strange personal punishment, or some petty exercise of authority.

It didn’t stop there. At the wedding venue, a bathroom faucet ran endlessly for hours. Instead of fixing it, Monty’s solution was to shut off the water entirely—leaving all wedding guests unable to wash their hands for the remainder of the evening.

By Sunday morning, he’d locked the exit gate—despite the venue still being rented until 11pm. We were effectively trapped, with a semi and a living quarters trailer, unable to leave easily.

Oh, and there were zero cleaning supplies available for post-event cleanup. One might suspect this is a clever strategy to “ensure” you don’t meet their cleanliness standards and forfeit your deposit. Just a theory.

All in all, the fairgrounds themselves could be a lovely and functional space—but Monty has turned them into his own little kingdom of arbitrary rules and unnecessary hostility. If you’re considering renting the space for an event or staying here, proceed...

I decided that going to the Western Montana Fair this year would be a fun experience, an enjoyable one. I was wrong. The lack of knowledge from those at the fair who were MEANT to know on where someone with a pre-purchased was meant to go was just the beginning. When my partner and I finally found the elusive ticket booth that apparently staff members themselves couldn't locate the lady was extremely rude, yelling at us to proffer our left wrist when I held out my right due to the fact that I couldn't hear her very well from the side I had towards her (I am hearing impaired on my left side). From there it was even more miserable. There was no explanation or even posted signs concerning wristbands versus tickets and we had to bother a nice young gentleman staffed for the fair to give a quick explanation. At least he was a sweetheart and polite. Overall; too damn hot, the food wasn't really good, the rides were lacking in both entertainment and basic maintenance, and it smelled like vomit and feces. There shall never be a repeat to that fair or...

The 'Country Fair' and petting zoo are absolutely devastating. The way these animals are treated is inhumane and appalling. The cows, goats, chickens, etc have been raised for slaughter/dairy and are there to be sold. Yet people bring their children thinking it's an innocent place to see and pet animals. The chickens are even labeled as 'poultry'. These animals are shown off as trophies in small cages. Not to mention, the baby animals taken away from their mothers, malnourished, laying miserably on the ground in the petting zoo area are forced to be touched and grabbed constantly along with the ponies. Animals are not here for our entertainment. Please DO NOT support such an awful place. This needs to go. It should no longer be at the...