Fewer attend fair this year
Attendance numbers at the Northwest Montana Fair were down across the board this year.
The ticketed attendance, which typically is somewhere around 50,000 to 55,000 people, couldn't be calculated this year because for the first time, children 12 and under and senior citizens were admitted free each day.
But concert and rodeo numbers showed a disappointing year.
The Aug. 11 Sawyer Brown concert filled 1,249 seats, down more than 2,500 people from last year's Monday concert attendance of 3,776.
The next night, just 469 people bought tickets for Emerson Drive, compared to 1,430 tickets sold for the Tuesday concert last year.
After a two-year hiatus, the fair brought back a Christian concert this year, featuring Jeremy Camp. A total of 904 people attended.
Rodeo attendance for three nights was 9,834, down considerably from last year's attendance of 12,394.
"Our numbers are down a little from last year," fair manager Jay Scott said. "I don't know if it is because last year was a very good year or the high cost of fuel and rising unemployment is the cause of lower revenue this year."
Hot weather during the last three days of the fair also may have prompted some fair-goers to stay home.
Last year was a banner year for the Northwest Montana Fair, with a gate attendance of 61,917, compared to 52,813 in 2006.
"Those that did come said it was a great fair and they enjoyed the new events," Scott said.
The new pig wrestling competition was a big crowd-pleaser, drawing 500 or more spectators on Friday and 700 on Saturday.
There were a couple of other bright spots. Exhibit numbers were up about 8 percent, Scott said, and some food booths also reported sales increases of 4 to 5 percent.
The demolition derby attendance was down, though, at 2,608 spectators, compared to 3,371 in 2007 and 4,135 in 2006.
Inland Empire Shows reported $257,352 in gross revenue from the carnival, down from $282,894 last year. The fair's take was $98,140, up from last year's $94,187 earnings.
The fair office paid out premiums in cash for the first time this year, and will continue paying out premiums through Friday.