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Montana Fair coordinator reports higher revenues, $1 million youth livestock sale; county hears operational changes
Summary
Yellowstone County officials heard a report on the 2025 Montana Fair, including a reported jump in revenues, a $1 million youth livestock sale, vendor layout changes, and praise for a newly created full‑time Montana Fair coordinator position.
Montana Fair coordinator Mikaela Womner told the Yellowstone County Board of County Commissioners on Sept. 9 that the county’s 2025 Montana Fair produced higher revenues, a record youth livestock sale and several operational changes expected to shape future fairs. "The youth livestock sale went to a million dollars this year," Womner said, and staff recorded what she described as "over 8,000 entries."
Why it matters: The Montana Fair is the county’s only event whose proceeds the county retains; higher net revenue reduces pressure on other county event budgets and can affect how other events are subsidized. Commissioners praised the fair team’s work and the decision to fund a full‑time fair coordinator post.
Womner and Stonyfield, who introduced her at the meeting, said numbers are still being finalized. Womner told the board the fair saw "a tremendous reduction in our expenses this year" and that staff expect revenues and premiums to "balance really nicely" after final accounting. She said the county did not use outside IOTC crews for setup this year and instead relied on metro maintenance staff, which she said lowered costs and improved logistics.
Womner described changes to vendor placement — fewer vendor booths in a smaller pavilion bay — and said organizers limited vendors to more handcrafted, personalized items to match community demand. She also described an altered expo layout in which the expo building was dedicated to animals and 4‑H exhibits, which she said simplified operations for volunteers and exhibitors. "4‑H seemed to really love that," she said.
Commissioners and staff repeatedly commended the fair team. One commissioner said the event "was a lot of good feedback on the fair and how it ran," and another thanked staff for long hours that produced an incident‑free run. Womner repeatedly cautioned that final invoices and accounting are still pending; several times she said the county is "still playing with those numbers."
No formal action was taken by the board on the report. Board members verbally thanked Womner and Stonyfield and moved on to other agenda items.
