Northwest Montana Fair attendance down slightly

Attendance at the Northwest Montana Fair was down 1.75 percent from last year, with 78,107 people attending the five-day event, according to Fair Manager Mark Campbell.

Despite a week of smoke-filled skies, the fair was successful “in all the important areas,” he said.

The fair saw a 2 percent increase in entertainment sales, led by the Josh Turner sell-out concert that drew a record crowd of 4,387 people. This was the third consecutive year the featured country music concert has sold out of tickets, Campbell said.

More than 12,500 people attended the Ram PRCA Rodeo over three nights. A total payout of $71,428 was awarded to top-performing competitors.

Exhibits were another bright spot for the fair, showing a slight increase from last year with more than 7,300 exhibits entered in the 4-H, FFA and Open Class competitions.

There was a 5 percent increase in parking revenue, with more than 7,000 vehicles parked over the five days.

Campbell said the new restrooms and grandstand entry were well-received by fair-goers.

“We got hugs from campers about the showers,” he told the Flathead County commissioners last week during his initial report about the fair.

The Market Livestock Sale set a new record with $562,291.50 in bids. All proceeds from the sale go directly to local 4-H and FFA participants.