W. Montana Fair Kicks Off With New Carnival, More Exhibits

For the next five days, Missoula’s fairgrounds will bustle with life, the smells of fried food and yells from roller coaster rides and rodeos.

General admission and much of the Western Montana Fair is free to the public, which organizers said allows people to come and go as they please. A new carnival and more competitive exhibits should bring a new excitement under the forecast long, hot days.

“This year is a little more streamlined and there is a good energy about it,” said fair organizer Emily Brock, as carnival rides were erected behind her Tuesday.

Some of the fun has already started. Shooting competitions and 4-H animal judging from alpacas to chickens got underway last week.

Things kick off Wednesday with First Nations Family Day, featuring Indigenous dancing and games open to the public. The evening’s extreme bull riding performance is dedicated to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

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Live music by Pinky and the Floyd will close out the night. Brock said each evening and night will have a live band for free at Fairway Plaza. Thursday features former “The Voice” contestant Tommy Edwards. Drunken Hearts will play Friday and Dammit Lauren will finish the series on Saturday.

During the day there will be classic fair competitions, including the Rochambeau barrel race, musical chairs and bubble blowing contests at the historic plaza. The winners will receive a prize each day.

The Missoula Stampede PRCA rodeo will open at the fair grandstands on Thursday, which will operate in the background through most of the fair. The first night of roping and racing is titled “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” to help raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research.

Brock said the rodeo is bound to attract both fairgoers and those from home, as the rodeo will be broadcast live on The Cowboy Channel.

“It can get 40 million people on prime time,” Brock said. “Our rodeo has always been good, but now we're getting national attention.”

On Friday, fair organizers spotlight riding a bike to the fair, and will offer the first 250 bikers a $2 meal voucher for any participating food booth. Missoula In Motion will cater a bike valet from noon to 9 p.m. and the nonprofit Freecycles will be on hand to teach bike maintenance techniques from noon to 6 p.m.

On Saturday, the 4-H and FFA begin their annual livestock sale, where young people working on animal projects can sell their animals. Saturday is also the last day to enter the Fur & Feather Silent Auction, which will close at noon.

Competitions have also grown from last year, now taking up the entire Commercial Building at the fairgrounds. Brock said there are 1,000 new exhibit entrances, which rank art, linens or other skillfully crafted projects from across the region.

Scattered throughout the fairgrounds are dozens of food vendors, some traveling and others local favorites. The Big Sky High School Marching Band trailer, which serves nachos, raises money annually to help supplement the band’s travel budget.

“For us, this is just another way to involve ourselves in the fair,” said parent Ben Slater. Slater grew up going to the fair as a kid, was involved in 4-H and now is helping out his child at the nacho stand. “It’s really neat to be a part of something over 100 years old."

Near the grandstand rodeo entrance, Ammar Omar worked to prepare three Arabic food trucks, Kamoon, Qataye and Rageef, that he owns and operates with three families in town. He’s been doing the fair for three years with the hope of getting more people from outside of Missoula to enjoy Middle Eastern cuisine.

“We want more people to try our food and enjoy these Arabian delicacies,” Omar said.

As tents for carnival games popped up around the rides, Izzy Murietta, a carnival employee, said Missoula is one of the most beautiful places he has traveled to for work so far. A new carnival contractor has brought much of the same rides, like the Zipper and the Super Slide, while including two Ferris wheels for fairgoers.

“We’re out here to have fun and make sure the kids have fun, too,” Murietta said.

The carnival opens at 11 a.m. for each day of the fair. To check a full schedule of events, visit missoulafairgrounds.com/2022-fair-schedule.

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