Broadwater County Fair
 | Author:
Nancy Marks
Nancy Marks: MT43 News Secretary and News Editor |
Broadwater County Fair In Full Swing
While you and I were watching television this winter, many Broadwater County residents were creating beautiful photos, quilts, wood carvings and even lego creations. Hundreds of these creations were on display at the an¬nual Broadwater County Fair beginning Wednesday in the 4-H Building at the Fairgrounds. When the judges made their choices for red, blue and purple ribbons, the results showed Melissa Meissner as Best of Show with her quilt, Karoline Nelson, leaded glass piece, Cael Odell, photo, among many others. An unusual Best of Show was a basket of brown sheep’s fleece, submitted by Kelly Ingalls. All the winners’ works were on display at the door, including the belt buckles to be awarded at the rodeo.
Patti Stucky won Best of Show for her ‘Best Ever’ angel food cake. Although she’s made scratch angel food cakes for many years, she decided to try something challenging to put in the Fair. She found a great recipe in the old Betty Crocker cookbook.
“I had to take a couple of practice runs first with half a recipe but this one turned out fine,” she said. The recipe calls for one dozen egg whites among other ingredients. She makes pound cake with the leftover egg yolks. She does not make the cakes often though. They are too fattening she said.
Traffic was slow on Friday at the Commercial Building, but the vendors and nonprofit organizations were dressed in style. Judy Williams, of Montana Custom Rhinestones, displayed her unusual and beautiful rhinestone studded shirts, jackets and dresses. Judy, who hails from Radersburg, has been creating these pieces since 2019.
“Every rhinestone is hand- applied and I do many custom pieces for people who order them,” she said. Judy has what she calls a ‘funshine cabin’ where she has private fittings and does much of her work. She said she would like to have more private showings where customers could come with their friends to try on her works or make special orders for a jacket, dress or shirt.
Denise Thompson’s booth was furnished with hats, buckles, hair ties and neckties to promote her family’s new venture, ‘Rising Seven,’ a business promoting their ranch beef products. She and her husband Vince’s entire family are involved in the venture including the grandchildren. Her son Jyler thought up the name of the business. The Thompson family grandchildren are seventh generation on the Gurnett Creek ranch. “We have organized team-roping competitions for years. We do ten to twenty competitions as well as practices and jackpots with prizes for champion headers and heeler.
Broadwater Weed and Mosquito Coordinator Jes¬sica Bushnell was manning the weed display trailer. She provided free weed field guides and explained the dangers of noxious weeds in our county including knapweed, oxeye daisy, cheatgrass and dalmatian toadflax. With so many new subdivisions popping up in our county we see lots of disturbed ground where noxious weeds can get started. “I try to educate folks about the dangers of letting noxious weeds get started and how to try to control the weeds if they do show up.” Jessica explained.
Then on to the Livestock building where the animals and the people were sweltering in the 90- degree heat. 4-H members had fans going on all their animals. They kept a healthy supply of water and feed for each animal. They bathed them, brushed them and treated them gently for the livestock trials to come. After the animals and presenters are judged, the livestock sales take place. Animals then are sent to processing houses.
Animals on display were all different kinds of chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, rabbits as well as pigs, lambs and Cattle. 4-H members work all year round to learn how to feed and care for animals. They must keep a journal of their work and attend the training ses¬sions for each animal they enter in the fair. Broadwater 4-H clubs include Old Baldy, Winston Eager Beavers, Radersburg Rattlers, Toston Blue Ribbon, Crow Creek Clovers and Rocky Mountain Rough Hands.
Poultry judging went well. Five contestants with five kinds of exotic chickens vied for ribbons. They were McKenzie Trusdell, Bryleigh Erickson, Gabrella Picco, Chayce Roberts and Grace Kroeger. Grace Kroeger won grand champion with her Booted Belgian d’uccle bantam. Bryleigh Erickson won second reserve champion.
Toston Blue Ribbon member Bailey Taves of Townsend kept good care of her steer, Mow Cow. It is her first year in steer raising, but she is no stranger to the hard work involved with 4-H livestock projects. She has been in the club for seven years. The Charolois-cross steer was bred by Cory and Jennilee Byrd with a November 2021 start of 820 pounds. The animal finished at 1,405 pounds with a maximum pounds allowed at 1,450 pounds. It was kind of a down time for the kids on Friday. Spencer Braaten was catching a few winks with his prize pig. Old Baldy 4-H Club member Abigail McCauley checked her steer’s feed and Colton Noyes who is a ten year 4-H member took pains washing his champion steer so the animal would look good for judging.
Saturday night a large crowd gathered around the livestock auction tent. They had full stomachs with a scrumptious dinner provided by the 4-H Council members and catered by John and Missy Rauser. Perennial auctioneer Dean Folkvord began the auction with fundraising baskets from different 4-H clubs to raise money for the 4-H Council.
The kids were tense. The animals were rowdy. When the bidding began it was like an explosion. Chickens, turkeys, rabbits, goats, sheep, pigs and steers went for big money. Bidders from Bozeman, Helena, Toston, Winston and Townsend bid up each other. Some steers went for $15 a pound. That is on the hoof. The steers weighed as much as 1,450 pounds. Total sales that evening was $301,091. In moments of kindness, many of the 4-H members offered percentages of their winnings to the Andy VanDyken cancer fund, the Eric Leachman Memorial Fund, Livestock Pavilion and several others. Livestock Auction was over, everyone could relax and enjoy the night’s rodeo.
By Sunday the crowd had slowed down considerably after rodeoing and dancing until the wee hours. Rain had cooled the county. The last event before the final Rodeo would be the Rodeo Parade.
Cars were parked clear to 4th street. That was because the crowd was overflowing on Broadway. One of the largest crowds since before COVID, according to Parade Chair Kathy Toombs.
Miss Rodeo Montana Briann Grimshaw led the parade carrying the Stars and Stripes. Grand Marshalls Pat Plantenberg and Mary Mistek were all smiles in Jerry Rodacker’s 1957 red hard-top convertible.
The Grand Marshalls are long time volunteers in Broadwater County. Pat has served on the Townsend Tree Board planting trees since 2004. He has 40 years in the landscaping business. Mary joined the Ambulance service when the couple moved to Townsend in 1991. She retired after 29 years of EMT service.
And the candy: Walmart must be out of candy because the little kids and big adults picked up so much candy thrown out by the parade participants.
Parade Entries were varied: there were horse riders, horse drawn wagons, horse riding teams. There were tractors, new fire trucks and political entries of all shades. Toston Blue Ribbon and Rocky Mountain Rough Hands clubs as well as Old Baldy each had floats. Bill Kearns drove his black Lincoln for Fall Fest. Billings Clinic-Broadwater had a float. The number of floats and other entries was 28 plus others not registered
Article Images
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PhotoCredit: Hugh Van Swearingen
Image 1 Caption: Toston Blue Ribbon 4-H
Image 2 Caption: Purple Ribbon
Winner Grace Kroeger
Image 3 Caption: Spencer Braaten and his prize hog catch a snooze
Image 4 Caption: Grand Marshals Mary Mistek and Patrick Plantenberg
Image 5 Caption: Arabella McDaniel & Goat
