Western Montana Fair kicks off Wednesday

Get ready for some people watching, bingo, bull riding, corn dogs, live music, motorcycle racing and neon lights. And take in one last memory of the old grandstands.

The Western Montana Fair kicked off at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 9 and runs through Sunday, Aug. 13 at the Missoula County Fairgrounds.

With somewhere between 100,000 and 140,000 people expected to visit the event and beautiful weather in the forecast, Missoula’s going to be a rowdy place this week.

Sunset lights up the sky over the midway at the Western Montana Fair in 2022.

TOM BAUER, Missoulian

“Things are really buzzing,” said Billie Ayers, the fairgrounds events and operations manager. “The last two years have had record-breaking attendance, and we already have 1,000 more exhibits entered this year.”

Ayers said there have been some additions for this year’s fair. There’ll be two bingo parlors, a new video arcade and two covered plazas for dancing, demonstrations and storytelling. There’ll be more than 30 food vendors, and much of the proceeds from the deep-fried meatballs and Indian tacos go to local nonprofits.

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