Northwest Montana Fair attendance rose sharply this year, coming in at more than 26,000 people than last year, according to fair officials.
Total gate numbers are estimated at 74,470, interim Fair Manager Ted Dykstra Jr. said. Last year’s number came in at about 48,000 and the year before at about 60,000, he said.
Dykstra attributed the increase to the return of horse racing, absent since 2005, as well as the general enthusiasm for fairs across the state and new marketing plans implemented this year.
“Horse racing, there’s no question it brought a lot of people in,” Dykstra said.
The addition of online ticketing also probably boosted ticket sales, he said, and helped build an electronic mailing list for people who would like to be notified about upcoming events at the fairgrounds.
The economy likely played a part in the attendance boost as well.
“I think people couldn’t afford to go on vacation outside the county, so they saved up their money and went to the fair,” Dykstra said.
Dykstra said he made at least four marketing trips to Browning to promote horse racing and also went to the Canadian provinces Alberta and British Columbia to bring attention to the fair.
Four percent of the fair’s attendees came from 500 miles or more away, Dykstra said, and about 81 percent came from within the valley. The rest were mid-range travelers, he said.
Also, the fair offered a free concert on Aug. 16, Dykstra noted, and no one paid for tickets, parking or gate fees that night.
According to ticket sale numbers, 1,454 people went to see the Oak Ridge Boys concert on Aug. 17 and 1,398 watched the band Mercy Me the following night. The three-day rodeo attracted a total of 9,447 people, with Saturday’s attendance the highest at 4,261. The demolition derby garnered 2,039 tickets.
A total of 3,161 parking passes were sold, and 1,108 campsite permits were issued.
The carnival also saw a boost in ticket sales, Dykstra said, bringing in over $242,000 compared to last year’s sales of roughly $238,800. Weeklong ride passes were purchased at almost double the rate as last year, he said.
Dykstra took over as interim fair manager after the Flathead County Fair Board’s decision not to renew then-Manager Jay Scott’s contract in February. Dykstra will help train the new manager, whose name should be announced in coming weeks. The new manager is expected take over fairgrounds operations in October.
Dykstra will return to his seat on the fair board until his term expires in December, he said, and the Flathead County Commission will decide if he will keep his position.