“As the merry-go-round slowed to a stop on Saturday evening of the fair, so did the heart of the man who brought it to the Jefferson County Recreation Park.”
So begins Bruce Gilmer’s Sept. 7, 2022, Boulder Monitor tribute and obituary. In honor of his many years of support for the fair, and especially for his work restoring the Boulder River Carousel, the 2023 Jefferson County Fair is dedicated to Bruce Gilmer.
Gilmer was a member and fire chief of the Boulder Fire Department. He and his friend, Jim Stout, spearheaded fellow firemen moving the Boulder River Carousel from the grounds of Montana Development Center to the Jefferson County fairgrounds and recreation park. He oversaw the meticulous restoration of the carousel and its ponies, which were painted and decorated by community members. He and other fire department volunteers moved the carousel yet another time when fundraising allowed for the building of a structure over the carousel. Before that, the carousel had to be dissassembled every year and then reassembled again to be used.
Bruce loved to stand in the center of the carousel and let kids grab quarters from his fingers as they rode around and around. He also loved to bid at the fair’s annual baked goods auction, where he pushed prices up with a twinkle in his eye, all for a good cause – improvements to the fairgrounds.
Bruce Gilmer embodied the spirit of the Jefferson County Fair. His selfless dedication to volunteering, his kindness, his ability to make people laugh, his joy in people and especially kids, those are the foundation of the fair and the Boulder community. Thank you, Bruce Gilmer.
– Terry Minow, Jefferson County Fair Chair
