Northwest Montana Fair Still a Go, Parade Cancelled

You know how the story goes with most events that are approaching the dates they're supposed to be held......they're either being postponed or cancelled because of COVID-19. Two weeks ago the Northwest Montana Fair bucked the trend by saying they still plan to hold the event in August. It was actually a bit of a surprise since most other fairs in Montana have either thrown in the towel for 2020, or they've stripped down to the mostly 4-H and FFA events like the Western Montana Fair and Ravalli County Fair have done.

As of now, the fair in Kalispell still plans to proceed with the use of extra safety precautions like social distancing, extra sanitization, and mask recommendations. One major change for this year's fair that will help promote social distancing will be the absence of a beer garden.

Although the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo may still go ahead as planned, the annual parade that accompanies the fair has been cancelled as coronavirus cases in Flathead County have increased. A story from the KPAX website has comments from Flathead County Fair manager Mark Campbell:

“While the decision was not made lightly, the Northwest Montana Fair fully understands the challenges posed in trying to organize the parade this year. We encourage the participants to get their entry ideas ready for next year.”

Because the parade features local 4-H and FFA students, they encourage fair-goers to support students in person, online, or during the livestock sale at the fair.

Judging by the reaction of people on social media, there is a lot of excitement for the fair to still be held this year. We'll see if anything else changes before the fair is supposed to kick off next month.

The Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo
August 19-23 | Flathead County Fairgrounds in Kalispell

Get more information about the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo HERE.