GREAT FALLS — The second day of the 2022 Montana State Fair was a busy one. Many people made their way to rides as well as various games and activities. On Saturday, many people made their way indoors to enjoy some festivities.
Some indoor activities included art displays, engaging with animals, talking with vendors and 4-H groups, along with various competitions. One of those included a robotics section where participants got the chance to learn about what goes in to building robots.
Simms High School student Carsten Brooks said, "we come to the fair pretty much every year. The idea behind it being we want to outreach to people and show what we're kind of all about, building robots, fixing real world solutions and getting them interested in the tech/stem field."
Another attraction at the fair was the Montana Wheat & Barley Committee's bread contest in collaboration with Montana State University's Extension.
The contest consisted of three judges from the committee that judged bread made by those who entered the contest. There were six winners during the contest. Contest winners were:
- Overall Champion: Elizabeth Erin Doyan - Cinnamon Whole Wheat
- Senior 1st Place: Judy Glover - Whole Wheat Marmalade
- Adult 1st Place: Maleena Schliep - Christmas Morning Monkey Bread
- Adult 2nd place: Stacy Reiman - Strawberry Vanilla Cheesecake
- Youth 1st Place: Elizabeth Doyan - Rosemary Garlic
- Youth 2nd Place: Emilia Doyan - Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread
Overall champion Elizabeth Erin Doyan spoke on her victory. She stated, "I really love the fair, and I love baking bread, and this has become a family tradition to participate in this contest, and there were so many great participants this year, and they tasted amazing, and I'm really thrilled to be here again and given this honor of winning.
Other contests by the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee will be:
July 31st - King Arthur Bread Baking Contest
August 3rd - CNH Sugar Contest - Cheesecake
August 5th - Guittard Chocolate Contest
Here are the concert acts scheduled to perform:
- The Beach Boys on Sunday, July 31
- Skillet on Monday, August 1
- Cheap Trick on Wednesday, August 3
- Chase Rice on Friday, August 5
- Dwight Yoakum on Saturday, August 6
Among the highlights of the carnival this year:
- The Beach Party: a two-level walk-through, laugh-throughout, funhouse makes its first appearance at State Fair this year. It features bright yellow and blue scenery, wacky obstacles, and a walk-through spinning barrel that evokes the roiling waters of an incoming tidal wave.
- The Star Tower: a gentle but thrilling 90-foot chair swing ride, with many hundreds of color-shifting LEDs combining to create mesmerizing, ever-changing light displays that tower above the fairground. This attraction accepts wristbands and regular carnival ride tickets.
- Black Out: Extreme ride genre - twelve passengers are secured into gondolas that rotate and flip as the central arm launches them up, up - and over! The ride swings up to a highpoint of 80 feet in the air and makes a complete circle as it swings back down in the other direction.
Competitive exhibits at the fair include Creative Arts; Culinary; Fine Arts; Quilting; Photography; and Weaving Wool.
Other features this year include:
- Comedy game show
- Energetic 'Ameri-grass' music
- Hypnotist and mind illusionist shows
- Strolling juggler
- Strolling magician
Pre-Sale Carnival Wristbands
- $25 each to ride either Noon to 5 pm or 6 pm to midnight
- Purchase at the Pacific Steel and Recycling Arena Box Office. On-sale until July 29th at
6 pm (Montana State Fair opens at NOON that day)
Fair Gate Admission Cost
- Adults: 18 to 59 - $8
- Children: 5 and under are free
- Lunch Special: $5 (Available Monday through Friday between the hours of 11 am to 2 pm)
- Seniors: 60 and older - $5
- Youth: 6 to 17 - $5
Click here to visit the fair website for more information and ticket sales.
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