Remember When?

105 YEARS AGO • AUGUST 21, 1919

TO GATHER EXHIBITS FOR FAIR

Dr. L.G. Helterline, the secretary of the County Fair announces that two cars (the cars referred to are railroad cars) will be sent to the west end of the county to gather up material for the County Fair. The same plan will be followed as at the last fair.

The two cars will come up as far as Trout Creek and, as expenses are paid by the fair management, exhibits are taken to the fair and returned without cost to the owners. A car and a half will be used for livestock and half a car for the Boys and Girls Club exhibits and other exhibits.

The girls in the canning club of District 6 will give canning demonstrations at the fair. Emil Dettwiler, the leader of the boys and girls club at Heron, is raising money to take all of the Heron Club Members that complete their work to the county fair. Dr. Helterline has promised to give them a suitable place for camping.

60 YEARS AGO • AUGUST 20, 1964

INTEREST HIGH FOR FAIR OPENING DAY FRIDAY

The annual Sanders County Fair, one of Montana’s finest small county fairs, opens Friday at the fairgrounds at Plains with Entry Day. The fair will continue through Sunday night.

Judging of some exhibits will get underway Friday evening and continue Saturday morning.

In recognition of the 75th anniversary of Montana statehood, Carter said all residents 75 years and older will be admitted free to fair events.

Advance requests for community booths and commercial exhibit space are unusually high this year.

Approximately $3,000 has been spent on fairground remodeling and reconstruction projects. The agricultural building has been relined with plywood and all community and organization booths have been rebuilt. A ceiling was placed over the flower display and 11 new lighting fixtures installed in the building.

A new roof was placed over the well house and some of the concession booths also got new roofs.

A new feature of the fair’s entertainment scheduled this year will be a Youth Dance at the pavilion Friday night with no adults admitted. Music for the dance will be provided by Rick Zadra’s Kalispell Leopards. The five candidates for fair queen - Judith Ann Gersterberger, Noxon, Cynthia Lee Porter, Plains, Linda Hamann, Dixon, Marilyn Wakefield. Thompson Falls and Louise Campbell, Hot Springs - will reign over the dance and Montie Montana Jr., the fair’s headliner will make an appearance. The beer concession will be closed during the dance.

The dance will be the first scheduled event of the fair.

The first performance of the RCA rodeo will be presented Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The rodeo will feature five major events plus team roping and girls barrel race and between rodeo events there will be pony chariot races with Spirit Lake, Idaho drivers dressed as Romans driving. Cycle races will be interspersed between rodeo events also.

Saturday’s night program will be made up locally with the beauty queen talent and crowning of the fair queen the highlight of the evening. The program will also include the Sanders County Beetles, six of the state’s best fiddlers including Pat Colyer, 1964 state fiddling champion formerly of Paradise; a professional night club organist and other talent. The program will be climaxed with the largest fireworks display ever seen in Sanders County. The fireworks will be fired professionally.

Sunday’s full program will begin with a parade at noon featuring the Eagle Drill team from Kalispell. The fair queen and her princesses will ride on a float built by the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce.

The second performance of the rodeo will be preceded by the annual 4-H livestock auction in front of the grandstand. The night show will feature Montie Montana, Jr.

Governor Tim Babcock plans to visit the fair Sunday afternoon. The state’s chief executive will fly to Plains in his private plane from the Deer Lodge fair which he will visit Sunday morning.

Peeking ahead to the next issue I found that Miss Louise Campbell of Hot Springs was chosen as fair queen and was crowned by Pam Risland, 1963 queen. Queen Louise will reign until the 1965 fair. Miss Judy Gerstenberger of Trout Creek was named runner up.