SEASONAL CELEBRATION

The sun was shining, the kids were laughing and literally a good time was had by all at the 2024 Sanders County Fair and PRCA Rodeo. Kids could be seen playing ball in their self made pen in the camping area. The atmosphere was filled with frivolity and safety for all attendees.

A new event this year was a concert in the main arena on Wednesday evening. Levi Blom entertained a small crowd with his mix of country and rock. Blom showed up with an RV and a pop-up trailer perfect for playing from the arena. Opening for Blom was Bozeman native Kalie Marie. She warmed up the crowd that included special ticket holders who sat in the arena in chairs. Date night winners Dee and Scott Johnson from Plains and Megan and Dallas Swartzentruber, also from Plains also sat in the arena. Raf Viniard, owner of Clark Fork River Radio sponsored the date night event. "People went on the website to enter the contest. They stated why they thought they should win. It was the Johnsons' anniversary and Swatzentrubers are building a new home and needed a night out," Viniard said. The tickets included dinner, concert and parking passes.

The PRCA rodeo was packed Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening. Announcer Bob Tallman kept the crowd entertained as he emceed each night. On Friday, Dick Vinson of Thompson Falls, who served as grand marshal in Saturday's parade, was escorted to a big round of applause around the arena by horse and buggy, stopping in front of the bucking chutes to be honored with a special award.

Rachel Largent, the fair administrative assistant, said that attendance was up at the rodeo, and the demolition derby was sold out. Largent said that normally the goal is to have 1,000 tickets sold for the rodeo on Thursday evening, and this year the attendance was nearly 1,400. The seats above the chutes were full Saturday night with people wanting the premium location for viewing the rodeo action. One mishap occurred when a bucking horse fell to the ground with the rider still on, landing under the horse. Neither showed signs of injury as they both left the arena standing.

This was the first year at the Sanders County Fair for carnival vendor Midway West Entertainment, which brought a variety of rides for various ages, including some rides that had not been at the local fair before. The carnival was packed Saturday night with kids standing in line for the rides. Makoy Schoenfeldt from Thompson Falls waved hello to people while he waited up in the air for the ferris wheel to take off. Shrills of glee could be heard from the Zipper and the Super Loop as it swung riders back and forth each time going further up until it made a complete loop. A mechanical bull was available for a slower ride. Harper Henzman from Columbia Falls gave it a whirl and stayed on. She and a companion said they were enjoying the carnival while attending the rodeo with a family member who was competing.

The number of food vendors was also up this year, with 23 businesses and organizations serving everything from tacos, jerk chicken and island noodles to fry bread, fried Oreos and grilled corn on the cob. Island Noodles from Kalispell was started by a man who took his food across the state. For over 20 years he provided a popular, healthy, easy to carry dish. The new owners said they haven't changed the original recipe. There was no shortage of palate pleasing food options.

Other vendors with crafts and activities were plentiful as well. Clark Fork River Radio played music throughout the week. A gentleman from Texas at the Clark Fork Baptist Church booth was giving roping lessons to teenaged boys. Greg Waggoner from Amarillo Texas said he came up to help out at the booth and offer roping tips on the dummy steer. "I enjoy being here and offering tips on roping to anyone who is interested and supporting the Baptist church," Waggoner said.

The agriculture barn was full of everything including plants, vegetables, cut flowers and floral arrangements, baked goods and monsters made out of vegetables. A cake with chocolate frosting was decorated to look like a tree with eyes. A lipstick plant had blooms that resembled an insect's face. Several people walked through admiring the cultivated and baked entries. The judges were impressed with a variety of hydrangea that was a stunning pink rather than common white. Children enjoyed the cacti and the baked goods made people hungry for kettle corn that was popping outside. Cathy Stansel from Tennessee said this was her first time at the fair. "This is a lot of fun to see. The kettle corn is calling me," she said with excitement.