A Slice of Missoula Life

By Pete Talbot, 8-12-06

Anybody wanting to relocate to the Missoula area should be required to go to the Western Montana Fair. It should be a law.

The fair represents that slice-of-life that defines a region. If you’ve ever been to a county fair, anywhere, you know what I’m talking about.

Take the family. Go to the rodeo, ride the rides and see the arts, crafts and vegetables.

There are plenty of animals too: pigs and rabbits and cows. You can watch a 4-H kid, with obvious pride, brush out his ewe.

Hungry? Forget your cardiologist. Have a Viking, tater pig, corn dog and for dessert, some fry bread covered with butter and honey. Wash it all down with a root beer float.

Pick up the freebies in the commercial building while browsing the literature at the Republican, Democrat and Libertarian tables.

No need to pay for any high-priced hormone supplements, just hang out by the midway around 10 p.m. The raging hormones from the teens that are strutting and preening about are sure to rub off.

It’s people watching at its finest: cowboys, carneys, kids, your banker, your doctor and dentist.

So, you out-of-staters, visit the fair before you make that down payment on a condo or home in the Missoula Valley. This is real Montana and the fairgoers you see are your future neighbors.


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