As the Northwest Montana Fair and Rodeo approaches, uncertainty seems to be the only sure thing. None of the vendors that normally sell food and drinks on the grounds know quite what to expect at this year’s event.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced Flathead County Fairgrounds Manager Mark Campbell and the Fair Board to make a series of adjustments to the festivities scheduled for Aug. 19 through Aug. 23.

The carnival and parade have both been canceled, and the Market Livestock Sale will be conducted online. A concert by country music artist Lee Brice, three days of PRCA rodeo and a demolition derby are still expected to take place, along with 4-H activities, exhibits and entertainment at the free stage.

The evolving situation has put concessionaires in the difficult position of deciding how to prepare—or not—for the 2020 fair.

Some vendors have opted out of the fair entirely, citing health and financial concerns. Others still want to give the event a shot, though there’s some with trepidation.

The Bigfork Ladies Service Club is one of the nonprofit organizations that has decided to forgo the fair completely this year. Vice President Arlene Wilson said the group had to make the call about a month ago when it came time to place orders for the supplies they normally use to make their popular huckleberry milkshakes and hand-dipped corn dogs. At that time, it was still unclear whether the fair would take place, and the club wasn’t comfortable spending the money on supplies that they might not end up using.

They decided not to take that chance, “instead of spending a lot of money on a maybe,” Wilson explained.

Plus, many of the 30-plus women who volunteer with the organization were worried about jeopardizing their health by working at the big event.

Ultimately, this confluence of concerns made it a pretty “easy decision” for the group to opt out of the fair. But Wilson said Bigfork Ladies Service Club members are worried about how they’ll make up the lost revenue, which usually goes to causes such as unfunded Bigfork High School sports teams, local fire departments and the ALERT helicopter.

“We have great concerns about how to make it up,” Wilson acknowledged. “We don’t have alternative plans.”

The fair is usually the Bigfork club’s only annual fundraiser, bringing in more than $20,000 for the service organization. Since they are a nonprofit, the club doesn’t keep many reserves for a rainy day.

Wilson said the club hopes to still have the resources for two annual $1,000 scholarships—the rest of the causes they support might not be so lucky.

“But it’s a motivated group of ladies,” Wilson noted, so she remains optimistic they might be able to come up with some backup plans.

Other local nonprofits are still aiming to man their stands at the fairgrounds, despite the new challenges this year.

The Flathead Marines, famous for their barbecue chicken stand, are determined to be there.

“Marines are trained to improvise, adapt and overcome any obstacle in whatever situation they are presented, and continuing to have our concession booth at the Northwest Montana Fair is no different,” Flathead Marines Treasurer Tim Norton said in an email.

Norton admitted the group expects to see a decline in revenue, but he said, “we still expect to be profitable.”

Profits from their stand go to individual veterans and veteran organizations in the valley.

The St. Matthew’s Church leadership has a similar outlook, according to Parish Secretary Ruby Reiner.

“We’re still running it as usual,” Reiner said. “It will be the status quo, just with masks.”

However, she reported the funnel cake booth will likely be very short-staffed, since the older demographic of St. Matthew’s volunteers has made many would-be participants wary of serving this year.

Workers at some for-profit stands seem to feel the same way. Levi Nickel with Glacier Shave Ice said their stand likely will have a smaller staff this year, but they also anticipate doing less business given the overall climate.

“We’re trying to be optimistic,” Nickel said. “Of course we’re planning on not doing as much business as usual.”

“Without the rides, I think it’s going to be down drastically,” he said. But at this point, Nickel still isn’t quite sure how to plan for the occasion.

“We’re not quite sure how to adjust yet,” he said.

Hale Lake with Island Noodles expects to have a slightly smaller staff this year, too, down to about three employees instead of five or six.

Lake also anticipates making less money, even though he was pleased to report Island Noodles just wrapped up its busiest year ever at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. Since the usual concessionaire competition at Sturgis plummeted this year, Lake said he got record traffic at his food truck.

But he isn’t sure he will have the same luck in Kalispell. “I’ll be happy with 50% [profits] compared to the past years,” he said.

Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at (406)-758-4459 or bserbin@dailyinterlake.com.