2023 Great Northern Fair wraps up

Another Great Northern Fair has wrapped up in Havre after five days of rides, food, shows, music and tons of 4-H events.

The fair ran from Wednesday of last week to this Sunday with the last big events, the 4-H Market Sale and Jaycees Demolition Derby wrapping up Sunday.

2023's fair got pretty good reviews despite the heat of its closing days with many fairgoers commenting on the wealth of rides this year, particularly for children.

"It seems like they have quite a few more rides this year, more for the kids," Jayde Azure said Saturday while taking a break in the shade. "They're enjoying it. I'm enjoying it."

Azure, who said he comes to the fair every year, said it was a hot day but it seemed like everyone was having a good time regardless.

Another fairgoer, Sam Shepard, said he's always happy for the opportunity to partake of another pronto pup and his kids are never far behind.

"The only thing that sucks is it will be another year until we can do it again, right?" he said.

While it will indeed be another year until the return of pronto pups and tractor pulls it seems like many will leave this year's fair with some good memories.

In addition to all the rides, this year fairgoers were treated to the comedy stylings of T.C. Hatter along with magic shows by Dan Paulus as well as a circus act and variety show.

There was also plenty of music by artists like VooDoo Cadillac, Shake Down County and Cole Kleinhart.

The usual lineup of fair food was also on offer, from vikings to steak on a stick and Indian tacos to cheese fries, and vendors and local organizations filled the commercial building with their goods and booths.

Fairgoers were also treated to rodeos, where local riders showed off their skills in a competition at the fairgrounds arena earlier this week.

Along with all of this there were a lot of games like GellyBall, a mechanical bull, slides, bounce houses and a petting zoo for children.

It was also a big week for 4-H with members showing off their projects and competing in various categories with the animals they raised and trained, items they made and studies they've completed.

On top of exhibiting projects throughout the week 4-H'ers also participated in a slew of animal shows in the Bigger Better Barn, featuring cows, horses, dogs, pigs and all manner of animals.

The 2023 fair may be over, but those who visited this year certainly had a lot to experience.