Great Northern Fair A
rocks north-central Montana
tradition almost as old as Hill County will again draw thousands to the Great Northern Fairgrounds in July to try dozens of kinds of special foods, brave the traditional fair rides, peruse commercial booths, partake in free stage entertainment, watch 4-H presentations and competitions and see major arena events each night, with some changes to this year's lineup. The annual Great Northern Fair starts in Havre Wednesday, July 16, running through Sunday, July 20, with attractions for virtually any fair aficionado. The annual regional fair draws its roots from the Great Northern Stampede, which began in Havre shortly after the county was created in 1912. To this day, the midway at the Hill County event holds a wide variety of rides and games each year, from children’s rides to more hairraising thrillers, and numerous carnival games. A main draw to the fair each year, however, are the food booths generally used by local nonprofit groups like the Lions, Optimists, Rotary and groups from Montana State University-Northern to sell food as a fundraiser. Local favorites usually include pronto pup corn dogs, the meatball
on-a-stick Vikings, the ever-popular fried-bread scones, fresh-roasted corn on the cob, pig-on-apole, steak-on-a-stick, buffalo burgers, pork chop sandwiches, snow cups and extreme nachos. The booths are arranged along the western edge of the fair grounds, next to the tables with awnings to help people keep out of the sun. Another local food favorite is in the buildings on the south edge, the 4-H Chuckwagon. The Hill County 4-H Club is in the process of building a new building, but the food will again be sold in the existing building in 2014. Along with the Chuckwagon fundraiser, the 4-H activities run through the fair, with entries and some competition starting even before the Wednesday opening of the midway and exhibits. Animals raised and trained by local 4-H'ers are kept in the Bigger Better Barn on the east edge of the fairgrounds and other nearby buildings. Many competitions, ranging from horse and cattle showmanship to rabbit and poultry showmanship, take place throughout the fair. The culmination of the market livestock exhibits each year is the 4-H livestock sale, held Sunday afternoon in the Bigger Better Barn. Another favorite portion of the fair along