Happy Friday, Beacon readers! Tourists are slowly trickling out of northwest Montana as kids go back to school and the summer winds down. But have no fear – there’s still some fun for everyone in the Flathead Valley this weekend no matter what your flavor is.

If you’re into fried Oreos, pie-eating contests, Zippers and other entertainment, the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo is the place to be this weekend. But the fair doesn’t have to be all about the grease and spins, it’s also a spectacle of livestock and a place for the rodeo and 4-H participants to showcase their hard work.

The 4-H and FFA market livestock sale is held Saturday morning at 8 a.m. and buyers will have a chance to buy a live goat, beef, lamb or hog that local kids have been raising.

Animals are sometimes donated to local food programs like Meals on Wheels, a Flathead County Agency on Aging program that delivers a hot meal to homebound residents.

In addition to 4-H, other lesser-known events involving animals this weekend include the rooster crowing contest, Brad’s World Reptiles Exhibit and the Extreme Dog Show.

New this year, the Eureka Dune Runners will close out the fair on Sunday at 3 p.m. with a mud bog race on a 150-foot track running through the arena. While I admit I’m unfamiliar with the world of mud bog racing, I learned through some brief research that mud bogging involves driving through the mud in any vehicle ranging from an old Ford farm truck to a beefed-up rig lifted off the ground. It appears springtime poses the most challenging and exciting weather conditions for this race, so hopefully officials at the Flathead County Fairgrounds hose the arena down for the most immaculate track conditions.

You can find the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo schedule of events here.

If you’re seeking less diesel and more beats, I’d suggest heading up the North Fork this weekend to see some live jams in Polebridge. At Home Ranch Bottoms, Missoula singer-songwriter Tom Catmull plays tonight and bluegrass duo The Montvales play tomorrow, both starting at 6 p.m.

Up the road at the Northern Lights Saloon, you can dance the night away to neighborhood funk band 20 Grand, which is also playing Sunday at Bonsai Brewing Project in Whitefish.

I’m Maggie Dresser, here to serve as your party planner with today’s Daily Roundup.

In her latest column, Bigfork-based cookbook author and food blogger Julie Laing shares her recipe for Romesco-inspired grilled pepper and almond sauce. Check it out here.