Attendance, revenue up for fair

Good weather, a sold-out country western concert and strong attendance combined to make the Northwest Montana Fair “an overall success,” Fairgrounds Manager Mark Campbell said.

Entrance gate revenue increased by 12.6 percent, Campbell told the county commissioners on Thursday, saying final attendance numbers were still being finalized but showed an initial 4 percent gain over last year.

Grandstand sales were up 45 percent, driven in large part by the Wednesday night concert featuring popular country singer Trace Adkins. Rodeo crowds likewise were strong, though Saturday’s rodeo attendance dipped slightly from last year.

Attendance to the demolition derby on Sunday night was “a touch down,” Campbell said.

Ticket sales for the various special events brought in a record $336,623 — “the highest we’ve ever achieved,” Campbell said. Last year ticket sales totaled only $228,000, but heavy smoke from area wildfires affected attendance.

Fair officials made the decision to feature only one concert this year and get a higher profile performer. The traditional Tuesday night concert, which had featured Christian bands and performers in recent years, was dropped this year.

Another bright spot for this year’s fair was the carnival. Sales were up 20 percent, at $341,000, which is $57,000 more than last year. The fair’s take of the carnival revenue was $113,214.

“The amount of [carnival] sales is important as it drives our revenue,” Campbell said.

He had conservatively budgeted $97,500 in carnival income for the fair, hedging because “we’ve had our ups and downs. There was smoke from the fires last year, so this year we were pleased the weather was right on target.”

The number of fair exhibits remained steady. A total of 7,750 exhibits were entered by 1,042 exhibitors. That compares to 7,838 exhibits and 1,027 exhibitors in 2015.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.