People from all over Montana come to Great Falls each year for the Montana State Fair, and often have one specific thing that they want to see while they’re here. For a lot of people, that’s the iconic Viking.
For those who have never heard of it – a Viking is essentially a big meatball that has been dipped in batter and deep-fried, and then served on a stick.
The Sons of Norway Lodsen Lodge posted on Facebook earlier this month that they will not be at the Montana State Fair this year.
This is due to new regulations requiring an automatic fire suppression system that they were not able to have installed and inspected in time.
The fire suppression system was made a requirement for Montana in May of this year, with the intent to keep fairgoers, staff, and vendors safe.
Due to the new regulations this year, the Viking booth will not be present at the Montana State Fair.
“It’s known as the Sons of Norway Viking booth, where we do our famous Vikings,” said Shannon Wilson, the food service manager for the Viking booth. “A lot of people have told me they come to the fair just for Vikings, so we were pretty distressed that we couldn’t get the fire suppression equipment that we needed to be able to, it was required as of May of this year, and all of the vendors are just overloaded with requests, so we couldn’t do this year, but we’ll definitely be back next year.”
While a majority of their funding comes from the proceeds made at their booth each year at the fair, they are not concerned from a financial standpoint and will continue business as usual, including their regular donations to non-profits and youth groups.
“It’s important to continue the Viking booth that does a lot for our organization. We raise funds to support nonprofits around town; we also support youth groups,” Wilson added.
Annual fairgoers took to Facebook with their sadness for having to miss out on the Sons of Norway’s famous Vikings this year, but they have continued to show support for the organization and are looking forward to next year’s state fair.
Sons Of Norway
“We are discussing [potentially] having Vikings as part of our December bake sale, so stay tuned, watch our Facebook page, and especially, you know, visit often because we have a lot of activities going on and we invite the community to join us,” said Wilson.
Although the Viking booth will be missed, there will still be plenty of things to do and see and enjoy while you’re at the Montana State Fair.
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Posted at 6:54 AM, Jul 25, 2024
MISSOULA — Storms that rolled across Western Montana on Wednesday evening brought down trees and knocked out power to thousands in the Missoula and Bitterroot valleys.
Power outage continued into Thursday morning for thousands of people in and around Missoula.
More local news from KPAX
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The Missoula area, the Bitterroot Valley, and other areas of West Central Montana were slammed by severe thunderstorms Wednesday evening, downing lines and trees and starting fires.
The National Weather Service had been tracking the storm for several hours as the cells began moving across Idaho.
Around 8:30 pm NWS issued a warning of severe thunderstorms moving into the Northern Bitterroot and Missoula Valley, and when the weather came it hit hard, with pounding winds, lots of lightning, and heavy rain.
One of the strongest windstorms in several years
Forecasters are still analyzing data, but winds appeared to be gusting 50 to 60 miles per hour. At one point, NWS reported a gust hitting 81 miles per hour at the forecast center at the Missoula Montana Airport.
Additionally, forecasters tell us they reported a gusting hitting 120 miles per hour at the top of Mount Sentinel.
The winds ripped through Lolo and Miller Creek, knocking down trees and power lines. Then the storm blasted across Missoula and moved into East Missoula, kicking up a major dust storm and debris.
Lightning strikes were expected to total several hundred in the Missoula area.
Damage everywhere
Missoula area fire and police crews were kept busy responding to a rapid-fire succession of reports of downed power lines and trees, with multiple wildfire starts. At one point, firefighters were called out to stop a structure fire in East Missoula that was threatening other homes.
Missoula Electric Coop was reporting several hundred people without power from Lolo to Missoula to Superior and in Seeley Lake.
Northwestern Energy was also reporting several thousand customers without power in the Missoula and Bitterroot service areas.
Storm moved NE
The storm was continuing to move northeast toward the Upper Blackfoot, the Front, and Great Falls area before 10 pm.
With extremely dry conditions across the state, the Michigan DNR is reminding residents of the following everyday items that may accidentally spark a fire.
Gallery Credit: Lauren Gordon
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