Fair had near record numbers
Gary Clark judges flowers at the Northwest Montana Fair last week.
A little rain and an ongoing pandemic didn’t stop the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo from reaching a near-record level of attendance.
The five-day fair, which ended Aug. 22, drew a total of 77,828 visitors — around 2% shy of the 2017 record of 79,492 and the 2019 mark of 79,372, according to Flathead County Fairgrounds Manager Mark Campbell. The event set daily attendance records every day except Saturday, when the weather was cold and wet.
According to Campbell’s presentation, carnival revenues soared 6.7% over the previous record. More than 250 livestock animals were sold via online and in-person auctions for a record total of more than $797,000, and more than 6,800 exhibits were entered into 4-H, FFA and open-class livestock showing competitions.
At the Grandstand, Wednesday’s concert featuring country singer-songwriter Chris Janson drew 2,739 people. The concert was followed by three nights of rodeo events and Sunday’s Big Air Bash dirt-biking event, for a total of 16,202 Grandstand event attendees.
The fair featured 21 food vendors with more than $460,000 in sales, averaging nearly $30,700 apiece.