County fair is a community effort

It was heartening to see the Northwest Montana Fair rebound this year, after taking a tumble in 2006.

Attendance this year was up a very healthy 17 percent over last year, partly attributed to the cool and comfortable weather and partly to well-received concerts.

We should also remember, however, that the previous year, attendance had declined by nearly 12 percent as a result of the fair canceling horse races.

This year's 61,917 visitors represent a more modest 3 1/2 percent increase over the 2005 attendance, but however you dice it, the numbers are good news.

At a time when so many of community traditions are being discarded, it is refreshing that people still see the value of a corn dog, a Ferris wheel, and a blue ribbon.

Thanks to all the volunteers and the fair board and workers for making this a special time. See you again next year.

This weekend, the state's Republican Party leaders will be voting on a proposal to adopt a closed caucus presidential primary election to be held on Feb. 5, with a provision that Montana's delegates to the national GOP convention will be required to support the winner.

To say the least, there are staunch opponents and ardent supporters of this proposal, and both sides make worthy arguments.

The supporters' best claim: Montana has become irrelevant in presidential politics with its June primary election, and this is the only practical and most influential way for the Montana GOP to engage in the 2008 elections.

Best opposing retort: Having an earlier primary election is just fine, but the party should be looking for the most inclusive way of doing so, rather than holding a caucus with only selected party officials participating.

We still think that an earlier primary election is a good idea for Montana, particularly if it is held in conjunction with other western states. The Montana Legislature almost made that happen this year, and if it had done so, the GOP caucus proposal wouldn't have come up.

Starting today, the state will be mailing application forms to residential property owners who probably qualify for the $400 property tax refund authorized by the Legislature in the last session.

Although the Inter Lake argued against the rebate as a short-sighted solution to long-term problems, we certainly don't want any Montanans to miss what they are entitled to.

So by all means pay attention to your mail for the next few days, and when you see a letter from the Department of Revenue, don't throw it away. But if you do, relax. An online application form will be available at www.mt.gov/revenue beginning on Monday, and the state says online applications will actually be processed faster in any case.