1967

George Troxel, head of the poultry section in the 1967 fair, displays a fowl friend. Troxel had worked the fair for 16 years at that point.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. A food booth at the Northwest Montana Fair in 1967 draws a line of thirsty patrons.

Kathy Nielsen of Kalispell was paid $100 per hundredweight for her reserve champion fat lamb at the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce Fat Stock Sale at the fairgrounds on Saturday, Aug. 19, 1967. The price paid by the Conrad National Bank (now First Interstate) tied that paid by the Bank of Columbia Falls for the grand champion fat lamb sold by Bertha Nugent of Kalispell.

Bob Nieboer of the Jaycees was a grillmaster at the Northwest Montana Fair in 1967.

Linda Gardner, right, and Joan McGill, carefu;lly put up art work of students at St. Matthew’s in the elementary school building at the fairgrounds. School exhibits in 1967 displayed a variety of art work, including intricate “tissue” paintings and numerous drawings and crayon pictures.

Mrs. Darel Hansen, Kalispell, holds 4,000 of the 28,000 tickets the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo hoped to sell in 1967.

From 1967: “Of all the thrills at the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo this week, few if any exceed the thrill of a roller coaster at the carnival midway, especially if you are young like these four youngsters snapped as they made the circuit. The one in the back seat looks as though she had ridden before and it is now old hat.” (The photo appeare on the front page on Aug. 17, 1967.)

This fellow taking a nap in the shade had no idea that his picture would wind up at the top of the front page of the Daily Inter Lake on the opening day of the fair with the caption, “This is one way to relax at the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo ... but if you do — you’ll miss all the fun and excitement.”