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horse barns were poorly ventilated and lit, and Four
Seasons Arena suffered from poor acoustics and limited seating. The report outlined a number of options, including spending $ 7 million to $ 9 million to replace the grandstand, spending another $ 35 million to build a larger arena, and paying $ 12.6 million to demolish all existing horse barns and service facilities and build a 2,000-to-3,000 seat track just for horse racing.
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Less radical solutions also existed. Four
Seasons Arena could be converted into an exhibition hall, and the current Exhibition Hall transformed into a banquet hall, at a cost of $ 2 million. The report said an alternative to the demolition of all existing equestrian facilities would be to construct a
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owns the fairgrounds. By 1987, the fairgrounds were more than $ 600,000 in debt and
Cascade County's management of the Fairgrounds and Four Seasons Arena was heavily criticized. In 1988, Cascade County signed an agreement under which the city of Great Falls took over management of the fairgrounds and
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The cooling system under the practice ice at Four
Seasons Arena failed in April 2003, and a consultant estimated the cost of repairs at $ 450,000. This was money the county did not have, and the practice ice closed permanently. Due to problems with the ice cooling system and the extensive turnaround
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Cascade County renewed its contract with SMG in 2007. The new two-year contract paid SMG $ 84,413 a year (about $ 4,000 less than the 2002 contract), and included a payment of 15 percent of operating revenues of all income over $ 2.5 million. SMG also received 7.5 percent of all concessions sales
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A major study by
Cascade County and Montana ExpoPark in 2010 proposed making significant changes to the fairgrounds. The study, conducted by Markin Consulting, disclosed that the race track grandstand's concrete foundation was crumbling, the livestock pavilion's sheet metal walls were rusting, the
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style, were the Atrium, Family Living Center, Fine Arts
Building, Livestock Pavilion (now known as the Heritage Building), Mercantile Building, and Trades and Industries Building. Shanley designed the first building to be erected, the Livestock Pavilion, and it was constructed in 1919. Most of the
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In 2018, when concrete began falling from the underside of the grandstands, the situation reached a crisis point. At that time, the county commissioners voted to replace the grandstands. The underside was closed for the 2018 State Fair, though the grandstands themselves continued to be used that
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time need to transform the arena from an ice rink to other uses, SMG proposed closing the main ice rink permanently in 2005. The rink stayed open for a short period each year thereafter, but the ice rink finally closed in 2006.
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330:(down from 10 percent in the old contract). Cascade County also agreed to subsidize the fairgrounds and Four Seasons Arena by $ 750,000 a year, and pay the wages of all SMG employees operating the facilities.
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The 5,000-seat Four
Seasons Arena was built in 1979. The 15,000 square feet (1,400 m) Exhibition Hall (capable of seating up to 1,500 people) was constructed adjacent to the arena in 1995.
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The annual
Montana State Fair, which celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2011 (no fairs in 1942-45 nor 2020), draws more than 150,000 people to the fairgrounds each year.
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buildings, however, were built between 1928 and 1938. Many of the structures completed between 1934 and 1938 were paid for by grants from the
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In 2009, Cascade County declined to renew SMG's contract, concluding it had learned enough to manage the fairgrounds and arena on its own.
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The fairgrounds also include three large parks: Central Park, the Family Living Park, and South Park. Other large structures include the
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Four
Seasons Arena. This agreement expired after 15 years, and on November 12, 2002, Cascade County signed a formal agreement to allow
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The original fairgrounds were designed by Gordon G. Cottier and George M. Shanley. The original buildings, constructed in the
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year, and demolition began immediately thereafter. By the 2019 fair, a new structure was complete. The next year saw the
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236:—multi-purpose sports and exhibition arena. The site is the host of the Montana State Fair as well as
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Aarstad, Rich; Arguimbau, Ellen; Baumler, Ellen; Porsild, Charlene L.; and
Shovers, Brian.
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Building, the new Livestock Pavilion, the Paddock Club, and the Poultry/Rabbit Barn.
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224:, United States. The 133-acre (54 ha) grounds contain 35 buildings, a
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Ecke, Richard. "Couple's Gift Helps Keep Local Ice Rink Dream Alive."
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281:. In 1939, the Montana State Fair, which had previously been held in
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Puckett, Karl. "Research Highlights ExpoPark's Untapped Potential."
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Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Montana
252:. The six original structures of the fairgrounds were added to the
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Puckett, Karl. "Divided Commissioners Extend Contract With SMG."
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The study did not advocate construction of a large facility like
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National Register of Historic Places in Cascade County, Montana
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456:"Building Details." Exhibition Hall. Montana ExpoPark. 2009.
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Helena, Mont.: Montana Historical Society Press, 2009.
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to take over management of the fairgrounds and arena.
361:, the 10,000-seat arena and 6,500-seat grandstand in
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Former Grandstand in front of the horse racing track.
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568:Skornogoski, Kim. "Ice Returning to Four Seasons."
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1298:Buildings and structures in Great Falls, Montana
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529:"County Hires Specialist to Examine Arena Ice."
474:"Western Art Lovers Flood the Falls Each Year."
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486:
484:
8:
1303:Tourist attractions in Great Falls, Montana
627:Montana Place Names From Alzada to Zortman.
413:Oyan, Katie. "SMG Fee to Exceed $ 75,000."
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967:
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542:Lee, Sonja. "Fairgrounds Remodeling Job."
63:Fine Arts building at the Montana ExpoPark
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37:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
490:Puckett, Karl. "County, SMG Part Ways."
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907:Montana School for the Deaf & Blind
503:"City Says It Should Run Fairgrounds."
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155:Gordon G. Cottier and George M. Shanley
391:"National Register Information System"
20:
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396:National Register of Historic Places
285:, permanently moved to Great Falls.
254:National Register of Historic Places
1157:University of Great Falls Argonauts
373:force the fair to go on hiatus.
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1123:Great Falls International Airport
949:Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art
902:Great Falls Central Catholic H.S.
516:Oyan, Katie. "Montana ExpoPark."
1293:Fairgrounds in the United States
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555:"Skating's Future on Thin Ice."
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268:Trades and Industries Building.
214:North Montana State Fairgrounds
1318:1919 establishments in Montana
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1333:Festivals established in 1919
898:Paris Gibson Education Center
944:C. M. Russell Museum Complex
778:Great Falls (Missouri River)
18:United States historic place
279:Public Works Administration
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870:Great Falls Public Schools
826:Lewis and Clark Expedition
354:new 300-stall horse barn.
260:Construction and buildings
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788:Great Falls Tectonic Zone
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186:NRHP reference
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1271:Malmstrom Air Force Base
923:University of Providence
846:Boston & Montana Co.
433:Aarstad, et al., p. 194.
160:Architectural style
1313:Horse racing in Montana
928:Great Falls College MSU
878:Charles M. Russell H.S.
851:Montana Central Railway
220:located in the city of
212:(formerly known as the
836:Charles Marion Russell
702:Great Falls Metro area
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128:47.51389°N 111.31917°W
46:U.S. Historic district
1107:Benefis Health System
675:Geography and Climate
401:National Park Service
344:
309:
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1162:Great Falls Voyagers
664:Great Falls, Montana
610:Great Falls Tribune.
588:Great Falls Tribune.
570:Great Falls Tribune.
557:Great Falls Tribune.
544:Great Falls Tribune.
531:Great Falls Tribune.
518:Great Falls Tribune.
505:Great Falls Tribune.
492:Great Falls Tribune.
476:Great Falls Tribune.
465:Accessed 2011-05-14.
444:Great Falls Tribune.
415:Great Falls Tribune.
222:Great Falls, Montana
133:47.51389; -111.31917
100:Great Falls, Montana
1209:Harvest Moon (Belt)
1128:Great Falls Transit
1072:Great Falls Tribune
700:Communities of the
572:September 21, 2005.
310:Mercantile building
124: /
98:400 3rd Street NW,
1230:Charles M. Russell
1184:Four Seasons Arena
892:Other high schools
793:Highwood Mountains
559:February 22, 2005.
520:November 13, 2002.
461:2012-01-14 at the
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238:agricultural shows
234:Four Seasons Arena
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1195:
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1188:McLaughlin Center
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957:
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612:February 3, 2011.
417:October 18, 2002.
371:COVID-19 pandemic
248:tournaments, and
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1078:The Prairie Star
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916:Higher education
883:Great Falls High
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821:Lake Great Falls
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590:August 15, 2007.
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210:Montana ExpoPark
202:January 13, 1989
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403:. July 9, 2010.
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1235:Tera Patrick
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680:Demographics
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1328:State fairs
1100:Health care
745:Sun Prairie
725:Black Eagle
230:grandstands
177:.goexpopark
131: /
119:111°19′09″W
107:Coordinates
1287:Categories
1164:(baseball)
971:Television
690:Government
337:Renovation
302:Management
246:basketball
232:, and the
218:fairground
116:47°30′50″N
1240:Ryan Leaf
1201:Breweries
861:Education
803:Roe River
770:Geography
750:Sun River
730:Fort Shaw
377:Footnotes
320:SMG World
256:in 1989.
152:Architect
147:1919-1938
1259:Category
1092:Services
459:Archived
363:Billings
274:Art Deco
250:funfairs
193:88003143
164:Art Deco
95:Location
1050:KBGF 50
1041:, 21.5
1037:, 21.4
1033:, 21.3
1029:, 21.2
937:Museums
813:History
720:Neihart
715:Cascade
685:Economy
228:track,
216:) is a
170:Website
1172:Venues
1142:Sports
1035:Create
1025:(21.1
1005:, 5.2
989:, 3.2
760:Vaughn
283:Helena
242:rodeos
102:, u.S.
1150:Teams
1064:Print
1039:World
1001:(5.1
981:(3.1
963:Media
740:Simms
144:Built
1043:MPAN
1031:Kids
1022:KUGF
1011:MNTV
998:KFBB
978:KRTV
710:Belt
208:The
179:.com
1054:NBC
1027:PBS
1015:JTV
1007:Fox
1003:ABC
987:MTN
983:CBS
755:Ulm
290:FFA
188:No.
175:www
1289::
991:CW
595:^
577:^
483:^
422:^
399:.
393:.
365:.
244:,
240:,
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1052:(
1045:)
1017:)
1013:/
1009:/
993:)
985:/
656:e
649:t
642:v
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
