Judith Basin County Fair

The 83rd Judith Basin County Fair opened at 8 a.m. on Monday, July 27, 2026, with the horse show at the county fairgrounds in Stanford. Later that day every 4-H member was required on the grounds to set up for the week. They moved pens and put up shade, and a complimentary barbecue followed for the volunteers. Admission is free. The Judith Basin County Fair Board and the county 4-H Council run the fair with the MSU Extension office in Stanford. The fair’s listing gives its mission as “to promote the education of the Youth of Judith Basin County, and enrich their experiences and opportunities.” The board is chaired by Janet Wertheimer of Hobson and draws its members from Stanford, Geyser, Hobson, and Moccasin. Its secretary is Sidney Stratton, the county’s MSU Extension agent.

Stanford is the county seat, a town of 403 at the 2020 census. It lies in a basin between the Highwood, Big Snowy, and Little Belt mountains, off Montana Highway 200 midway between Lewistown and Great Falls. The town began as a trading post set up by Thomas C. Power in 1875. In 1908 it moved about three miles to sit beside the new railroad. The country around it runs to livestock and small grains. Charlie Russell spent considerable time in the area, and its landscape appears in his paintings. Outside fair week, the fairgrounds serve for horse shows and rodeos from May through October.

Five days in the show arena

On Tuesday morning the 4-H members sat for project interviews at the Stanford School. Parents and leaders are kept away from the judging table. That afternoon the animals came in and were weighed by species: beef first, then sheep and goats, then swine. The weight taken on that scale is the official sale weight. Several members decorated their stalls to the 2026 theme, “One Nation, One Fair – Making the Best Better.” Many livestock families camp in campers on the grounds for the week. “With the early mornings and late nights that come with fair week, many out-of-town families found it easier and more convenient to stay on-site,” Stratton said of the 2025 fair.

Wednesday belonged to horses and dogs. The Working Ranch Horse show ran from 8 a.m. into the afternoon. The Montana 4-H project behind it teaches young riders traditional, safe livestock handling from horseback: the practical work of handling, sorting, and moving cattle. Riders were placed on combined scores across Knowledge, Pattern, Heading, Heeling, and Sorting. In 2026 three Kelloms took first place in successive levels: Taylor in Level 4, Logan in Level 3, and Sam in Level 2. Jace Wooten won Level 1, where seven riders placed.

The dog show followed at 4 p.m. “Dogs large and small and children large and small participated,” the Judith Basin Press reported. Nicole Ronneberg, the local game warden, led the training sessions held through the spring and summer at JBC Farms outside Hobson and at the fairgrounds. Classes were Showmanship, Obedience, and Agility. Presley Probert won grand champion in junior showmanship, second-year obedience, and first- and second-year agility. Ian McCray took the obedience and agility titles for dogs in their third year and beyond. County livestock judging closed the day at 7 p.m.

The 2026 schedule put the swine show at 7:30 Thursday morning. Cats, rabbits, and poultry followed from 11:15 to 2:15, then beef from 2:15 to 6:00, with a barn dance after the beef show. In every livestock showmanship class the exhibitors wear long-sleeved, collared, button-up shirts, long pants without rips or fading, and closed-toe shoes. Boots are required with cattle and horses, and a hat is mandatory in horse classes. FFA members show in official dress. Seniors show first and juniors last.

The exhibit building and the schoolhouse

Indoor entries came in through the first half of the week. Cloverbud and 4-H exhibits arrived Tuesday morning and grade-school exhibits were judged Wednesday at 9. FFA, FCCLA, open-class, and fair arts entries came in that afternoon, and open class was judged at 3. The exhibit building opened Thursday at 8:30 a.m. The Russell Country listing places the 4-H, open-class, and county school displays in the Judith Basin Archery Building, and it notes art exhibits by artists who live and work in the area. Ribbons go blue, red, and white. Posters must be readable at 20 feet. Garden vegetables are shown on six-inch paper plates, and after judging one specimen of each stays on display. Cloverbuds, the youngest members, may show up to six items each.

Quilts hang apart from the rest, in the old schoolhouse on the fairgrounds, White City District #7. That use began in 2025. “The idea to use the little white schoolhouse came from the Judith Lily Quilting Guild, who took the initiative to clean and make minor repairs to the building so it could be used as a display space for their beautiful work this year,” Stratton said. That year it held quilts and wall hangings, and the 2026 fair hung its quilt exhibit there again.

The food booth is staffed by 4-H members. Each signs up for a shift when entering the fair: one hour for juniors and intermediates, two hours for seniors.

Friday and the sale

Friday is the long day. Ultrasounds for the carcass competition began at 8 a.m., in the order beef, swine, then sheep and goats. The results are scored to MSU Extension standards and made available at the Extension office to anyone interested. Sheep showed at 8:30 and goats at 9:45. At 11:30 the round robin began. The senior, intermediate, and junior champion showmen from each livestock class each show the animal that won them the class, small animals first and then large. The adult showmanship class followed. At 1:30 children up to age eight paraded their pets around the show arena, with no large animals allowed.

Stockman Bank sponsored the buyers’ appreciation dinner from 3:30 to 5:00, and awards were presented at 4:30. At 5 p.m. the youth livestock sale opened in the arena, sponsored by Great Falls Tractor and Equipment Company. Animals sell in the order beef, sheep and goats, swine, and poultry. A market steer must weigh at least 1,100 pounds, a hog 200, a lamb 115, and a goat 70. White-ribbon animals do not sell. An exhibitor may also bring an indoor project into the ring for sale.

A week moved earlier

The adult class in the round robin is new. In 2025 the parents of the youth round robin winners showed steers, sheep, goats, and the rest before an audience early on Friday afternoon. It was the fair’s first-ever adult showmanship event, and Beth Vincent of Hobson won it. “Because fair week is such a team effort—with many adults working hard behind the scenes—it was a great chance for them to step into the show ring, whether to relive past experiences or try their hand at showing for the first time,” Stratton said.

The calendar changed that year too. The 2024 fair ran Monday, August 5, through Saturday, August 10. In 2025 it moved up a week to July 28 through August 1 and dropped Saturday, so the market sale moved to Friday. “The 4-H Council decided to adjust the fair dates to better accommodate 4-H members as they prepare for the upcoming school year,” Stratton said. A dance followed the 2025 sale. “Many 4-H’ers came out to celebrate and danced the night away after a successful livestock sale,” she said. Two years earlier the fair had run August 7 through 12. On August 11, 2023, it marked its 80th anniversary with a parade through downtown Stanford at 6 p.m.

Saturday is still take-down day, and every 4-H exhibitor must work it. In 2025 members of the Stanford Scramblers, the Geyser Lucky Clovers, and the Utica Sapphires struck the pens, the show arena, and the exhibit buildings. Many were already on the grounds that morning after a week of camping there. “It truly proved the saying: many hands make light work,” Stratton said.