One heck of a scene

If you were anywhere around town this past weekend, you knew where all the action was, as the Hot Springs County Fairgrounds was again home to the Thermopolis Cowboy Rendezvous PRCA Rodeo.

As much fun as the rodeo is each year — it always has a way of taking me back to rodeos with my folks when I was a kid — the true spectacle is watching how our local fairgrounds transforms into a spectacle of people from all over North America, and the parking lot takes on the look of a bazaar with all of the food and merchant booths. But of course with the fun comes the mess and this year it was particularly bad.

The fairgrounds themselves are something of a central point in our community. In addition to the big summer events of the rodeo, demolition derby, and Hot Springs County Fair, the buildings are grounds are used for fundraisers, shooting sports, barrel racing, monthly Gymkhanas, wedding receptions, birthday parties, political forums and other events.

But they tend to lose their shine when covered in cans, paper plates and other junk that doesn’t find its way to the many trash cans available. Sure, there are people to clean up before and after the events, but should those dedicated folks get fed up with cleaning everyone else’s mess it could lead to one of our town’s most used and versatile facilities to become nothing more than another dump.

I know I’m exaggerating quite a bit, but I do so in the hope that we all realize just how important the fairgrounds are to this community and all put forth a little extra effort to keep them clean and looking sharp. If you’ve got the time, stick around after an event to help pick up your own trash and the area around you, if someone leaves an empty soda can or plastic cup behind. You don’t have to try and get every last scrap of junk, but every bit does help.