This year marks the 110^th anniversary of the Routt County Fair. We hope to see you at the fairgrounds in Hayden for this time-honored tradition.

The fair brings out the best in our community. It is a time for us to put our agricultural heritage on proud display. It is a time when we put past differences behind us and focus on common ground — benefitting, inspiring and celebrating our youth.

Over the decades, long-standing Routt County families have volunteered to put this event on, taking great pride in maintaining Routt County’s culture, heritage and the collaborative approach that is Routt County’s hallmark. When we come together for a common purpose, we get things done.

It is in that spirit that we ask you to reflect on what it means to be a Routt County resident, to remember all of the times that we have convened as a community to chart a course for our future. Some of Routt County’s best programs, policies and practices have emerged as a result of people sitting around the kitchen table and working together, talking it out.

Take the example of how Elaine Gay’s pies and time spent at her kitchen table led to one of the largest conservation easements in the Yampa Valley at Lake Catamount. Or how John Fetcher’s vision for our water future transformed how we manage, store and recreate on the water through the development of the Stagecoach Reservoir, Steamboat Lake and water management entities. Most of Routt County’s iconic features, like Howelsen Hill, are built by folks who came together to create the future they wanted to see. Let’s not forget what we can do when we come together as a community.

This week, as we enjoy the Routt County Fair, we also prepare for a different type of recreational activity on our rural roads. Gravel racing is a sport that has gained in popularity very quickly, and the SBT GRVL race is considered a world-class gravel race. Over the weekend riders will experience the beauty and authenticity of our rural community. We expect that they respect and revere it, just as we do.

The Routt County Board of County Commissioners permitted SBT GRVL, requiring significant changes from last year. We listened to our rural residents and used their suggestions to offer course modifications, limited days and fewer organized rides. We worked with our rural residents and SBT GRVL to limit the inevitable impacts any special event can cause. This is the year to see if we were successful.

As we strive to co-exist this weekend, we ask for your support. Please be prepared for the riders and increased traffic. Please focus on your safety, and the safety of riders.

If you observe a safety concern, please report it to the SBT GRVL Community Command Center hotline between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 720-805-9751. For question about the Community Command Center, please email Greer Van Dyck at greer@sbtgrvl.com. We will be gathering data about this year’s event and debriefing on lessons learned Sept. 3.

As always, we invite you, our constituents, to join us at that time and share your observations. We believe that, working together, we can continue to seek solutions to the challenges associated with “being discovered” as such a special and unique place!

This guest column was submitted the Routt County Board of County Commissioners. Contact them by emailing bcc@co.routt.co.us.