Advance ticket sales for this year’s Northwest Montana Fair are ahead of sales for last year’s grandstand events.

The fair runs from Aug. 17-21 in Kalispell.

People can buy advance tickets for the two concerts, the rodeo and the demolition derby at the fair office or through the fair’s website at www.nwmtfair.com.

Ticket prices for this year’s concerts have been lowered, Flathead County Fairgrounds Manager Mark Campbell said.

“We want people to come out and enjoy it,” he said, so prices were reduced to make attending the fair more affordable for a family. “We know it’s tough out there.”

Tickets to the Newsboys concert on Tuesday, Aug. 16, are $20 for general admission or $25 for reserved seats. Admission to the Wednesday, Aug. 17, Little Big Town concert are $23 general admission or $28 for reserved seats.

Campbell would like to see at least 4,000 people in the grandstand for each concert.

The rodeo runs each night Thursday through Saturday with admission set at $15 for general admission or $20 for reserved seats.

Admission to Sunday’s demolition derby is $15.

People who buy grandstand admission tickets in advance don’t have to pay the separate $5 gate admission to the fair, Campbell said.

The fair office doesn’t sell advance tickets for the horse races, but races are on tap for the afternoons of Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 20 and 21.

Fair officials signed a contract with the Kalispell Race Meet group for the horse races, Campbell said. Everyone is hopeful this year’s horse races will draw an even bigger crowd than attended last year’s races, Campbell said. Horse racing returned to the fair last year after a three-year hiatus.

“We’re excited about the horse races,” he said.

Campbell began working as the fair manager last October, so this will be his first fair in Kalispell. Campbell hopes the fairgrounds will be full, people enjoy the fair and no one gets hurt. To him, those are conditions that make a good day at a county fair.

He wants to make sure the fair reflects the interests of people in the community. “The more we do that, the more successful we are,” he said.

He would like to add educational demonstrations for people who attend the fair. “Maybe we could explain what a 4-Her did to raise the prize-winning steer,” he said. Now people see the winning exhibits but don’t get much background about why any item was selected the winner.

“It’s going to be fun,” Campbell said of the fair. “You don’t want to miss it.”

Reporter Shelley Ridenour may be reached at 758-4439 or by email at sridenour@dailyinterlake.com.