Townsend Fall Fest

The Rotary Club of Townsend keeps its own booth at Heritage Park, selling brats, burgers, and beer. The brats are what the club calls its famous local brats. Around that booth, on the first weekend of October, more than 120 vendor booths fill the park and South Pine Street. They sell crafts, fine art, jewelry, clothing, woodworking, food, and drink, and according to KTVH the vendors come from throughout the Northwest. Bands from Townsend, from elsewhere in Montana, and from the region play the main stage for three days. Eleven were scheduled for the 2026 festival, which opened at 4 p.m. on Friday, October 2, and ran through late Sunday afternoon, October 4. Sponsors cover the cost, so admission is free.

Some visitors come to get a start on December. “A lot of people start their Christmas shopping,” said Barbara Mock, a Townsend resident. “They say it’s a great place to see unique vendors that they don’t see everywhere.” In the days before the 2026 opening, vendors were setting out Christmas decorations for sale. Tim Stevenson has sold at Fall Fest for more than ten years. He carves bears and builds log furniture with a chainsaw. “It’s a big part of my income,” he told KTVH. “It’s great just meeting people and seeing where they’re from.”

Townsend is the county seat of Broadwater County. It sits on the Missouri River about 35 miles southeast of Helena, between the Big Belt and Elkhorn mountains. The town began in 1883 as a stop on the Northern Pacific Railroad and was named for Susan Townsend, wife of the railroad’s past president, Charles Barstow Wright. The county development corporation gives the population as 1,787, and KTVH puts it at about 2,300. NonStop Local reported that the festival usually brings around 10,000 people, “five times Townsend’s population.” The Rotary Club counts over 10,000 “when the weather is warm and welcoming,” and KTVH expected between 10,000 and 15,000 in 2026.

Pancakes, a playground, and a dressed-up main street

The Rotary Club is one of several groups that work the weekend. On Sunday morning the Volunteer Fire Department serves a pancake breakfast at its hall at 130 S. Cedar Street, two blocks east of Heritage Park. The Townsend Chamber of Commerce sponsors a fall decoration contest, and most businesses on the main street enter it. Before the 2026 festival, KTVH photographed hay-bale artwork advertising the event and a local shop selling baked goods and Townsend merchandise.

Children have the city park’s swings, slides, climbing toys, and sandbox. Local organizations and vendors add bounce houses, rides, face painting, and games.

Show & Shine on Broadway

On Sunday, classic and custom cars line the streets for the Show & Shine car show. Any make, model, or year may enter. The 2026 show ran from 10 to 4 on Broadway Street under the theme “Classic Revival.” The Rotary Club says its 2014 show earned the title of Montana’s largest and was named “Best Car Show of the Year” by several of the state’s largest car clubs. Visit Helena puts the claim more cautiously: the show “has been the largest car show in Montana in the past.” The 2024 show drew over 320 cars, and more than 300 were expected in 2026.

“The Super Bowl for Townsend”

Doug Sitton is a former Rotary president and serves as the festival’s emcee. “This is the Super Bowl for Townsend, every year,” he told KTVH. “I’ve been doing this 19 years and it never ever gets old.” His advice to newcomers, given to NonStop Local, was this: “Just bring an open mind, a great attitude and the willingness to have a good time.”

More than 100 volunteers work on Fall Fest through the year. Philip Knaub, the operations lead, grew up in Townsend. “I’m coordinating everything from porta-potties to trash disposal to picnic table movement and light set up,” he said in 2026. “I started Wednesday at one, and I’ll probably leave this park Monday at noon. It’s endless; everybody pitches in.” Organizers begin talking about the next festival within weeks of the last one. “We’ve been going long enough that rain, snow, shine, wind — we’ve had wind — we’re gonna be here and offering this event to the community,” Knaub said.

The weekend reaches past the park. “Local bars and restaurants and gas stations, everyone talks about this being their best weekend of the year,” Mock said. “People, even after they move away, come back for Fall Fest weekend.” Knaub said, “I know families plan their family get-togethers around this.”

What the brats paid for

Fall Fest is the Rotary Club’s largest fundraiser. Its money comes from sponsorships, vendor fees, car show entries, and the club’s own food and beer. KTVH reported about $65,000 in net proceeds from the 2025 festival. NonStop Local reported that the club put $115,000 toward community needs that same year.

The festival has paid for new tires for a fire engine and for sound systems at the rodeo fairgrounds and the local school. It has also funded more than $10,000 in scholarships for Townsend high school students. In August 2026 the club set aside $10,000 of Fall Fest profits to help residents install water pressure relief valves before the town’s new water tower was turned on in September. It offered $200 to each of up to 50 households, and at the time only six had applied. The pavilion at Heritage Park, where part of the festival takes place, was itself built with Fall Fest earnings.