Preliminary numbers show fair attendance up this year

Preliminary tallies show that attendance was up nearly 4 percent at this year’s Northwest Montana Fair & Rodeo. Approximately 79,500 people attended various events, concerts, rodeo performances and exhibits Aug. 16-20 at the Flathead County Fairgrounds.

“The fair was successful in many different ways. While it’s still early for detailed reports, we want to share our appreciation to everyone who made this a safe and positive community-wide event,” said Fairgrounds Manager Mark Campbell in a press release.

More than 4,000 people attended the Dustin Lynch concert on Aug. 16. The party pit and reserved seat sections both sold out, leaving only a handful of general admission seats at show time.

More than 12,000 people attended the Ram PRCA Rodeo Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, an increase in attendance over last year’s numbers. The conclusion of Saturday’s rodeo marked Beau Hill’s retirement from a 20-year professional bull riding career, earning him a standing ovation from the crowd.

North Star Amusements provided the carnival rides and games and reported an 8.5 percent increase in ridership over last year.

There were nearly 7,000 exhibits in the 4-H, FFA and Open Class competitions, providing spirited competition to showcase Montana’s Best. Gross sales at the Market Livestock Sale topped last year by more than $138,000 with all proceeds going directly to local 4-H and FFA participants.

“While numbers are always important to track our progress and in meeting established goals, a successful event is comprised of many intangible factors, including enjoyment, education, safety and the community coming together. We believe this year’s fair exceeded expectations on all accounts,” said Campbell.

The fair next year is set for Aug. 15-19, 2018.