The Western Montana Fair: Food and Fun For The Entire Family This Summer

Every August in Missoula, The Western Montana Fair comes through for 5-6 days. Not much happens in Missoula so this is a very popular attraction for locals and everyone in the surrounding cities. It has your typical assortment of fair goodies such as deep fried twinkies, gyros, tater pigs, and the regional favorite "The viking" which is a deep fried meatball on a stick. It has contests and lots of animals and prizes in areas like "fattest hog" and "largest cucumber". Fairs are dying out in many parts of the country but they are a very important tradition in many rural areas. Where else can you show off your beautiful goat or a pumpkin that looks like Dick Cheney? Kids remember fairs for the rides and the carnival games and adults remember the beer gardens, horse races, and carnies. The fair is great fun for all ages and should not be missed.

The Food

The fair is a place for many different treats you might not find year round. Cotton candy, candied apples, and snow cones are just a few of the sweets that you can find there. The Western Montana Fair also boasts some local favorites such as Indian Fry Bread that you can load with chili and toppings to create Indian Tacos. This is not an offensive term in Montana, that's what they are called in restaurants as well. Tater pigs are a baked potato with a sausage or hot dog inserted into the middle. Delicious, but not for those watching their weight. My personal favorite and sole reason for the fair are the Vikings. Somewhere along the food alley, you will see a little booth that says "Sons of Norway". This is where you will get your viking. It's a delicious meatball on a stick that is lightly breaded and deep fried to perfection and costs about 2 dollars. These are apparently made from a secret family recipe that originated in Norway. I have tried for years but they will not give me the recipe. Many of the food stands are run by local high schools earning money for school trips so it's nice to support them by gorging on snacks and junk.

The Events

The Western Montana Fair is full of give aways, freebies, and standard fair events such as concerts, monster trucks, and concerts. One of the biggest draws is the horse racing. This is done on a full length track and features some very beautiful and well trained horses from all around the country. Horse racing is very popular via satellite as Montana has legalized gambling. To experience it and gamble on live horses makes everyone happy. The monster trucks and demolition derby signify the end of the fair as those events are on the last two days before the fair packs it up and moves to the next city which is Kalispell.

The 4-H crew and regional farmers load up their best livestock and produce and haul it to the fair also. There are many different categories for animals and many blue ribbons are handed out. There is a livestock auction as well, so if you need a new bull or dairy cow, you can grab one. There is a full fledged rodeo for all you rodeo fans out there and it is sometimes followed by a concert from one of todays hot country stars.

Like any fair, there are booths all over the place that will enter you for a drawing while filling your pockets with loot. You will leave with pens, pencils, hats, piggy banks, and all sorts of junk from local businesses. There is usually a give away for a car or truck and usually a spa.

The Carnival

As a kid, seeing the ferris wheel being put up meant one thing. Rides, rides, and more rides. As I get older they make me more nauseous than anything but my kids absolutely love them. They have your normal rides like the tilt-a-whirl and ferris wheel as well as the more extreme rides like the zipper and gravitron. These aren't the newest rides in the world and haven't changed for 20 years but still offer young and old a good time. I used to spend 6 hours or so a day at the fair as a teenager. There is an extensive "kiddie" area with motorcycle rides, carousels, and other toddler friendly fare. I highly recommend any discounts or deals if you plan on riding rides or letting kids ride them. If you just buy tickets, you are paying 3-6 dollars per ride whereas an all day pass is around 15-20 dollars.

The prices for The Western Montana Fair vary day to day. There are kids days, family days, and normal days. On average, to get in is 2-4 dollars per person and lets you wander around doing whatever you like. The only extra costs are for events such as the demolition derby or to ride the rides. Overall, for the enjoyment your family will have, it's worth the price and only comes once a year so you might as well go all out.

The Western Montana Fair is in Missoula in 2007 from August 7th to August 12th.