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Food takes center stage at Northwest Montana Fair

Posted at 5:29 PM, Aug 14, 2019
and last updated 2019-08-14 23:52:41-04

KALISPELL — Besides the amusement rides, the rodeo and the arcade games, food at the Northwest Montana Fair is extremely popular.

MTN News got to go inside the kitchen of two popular food vendors.

Arthur Woolley, president of the Flathead Marines says, their famous BBQ chicken takes hours to perfect.

“I got here about 9:30 this morning but I was here almost all day yesterday. I got all my corn delivered yesterday and about half my chicken.”

The Flathead Marines are serving up BBQ chicken, buttered corn and rolls and Woolley says the food is locally sourced.

They took the booth over from the VFW last year and Woolley says serving chicken and buttered corn during the dinner rush is when things get hectic.

“We actually had people waiting almost forty-five minutes last year because we weren’t quite on time getting chickens on the grill fast enough,” explained Woolley.

Woolley serves almost 300 chicken plates a day with all local ingredients and all the proceeds go back to help the Flathead Marines.

If you’re in the mood for something sweeter, it’s the funnel cakes you should go for.

St. Matthew's Church has a funnel cake booth and all proceeds go back to the restoration of the church which burned in a basement fire this past spring.

Bruce LaRose who works with St. Matthews told MTN News that last year the booth made $30,000.

“On some days it can be five hundred day today, tomorrow it could be two to 3,000. The busier it gets, the rodeo comes in the more we end up selling.”

Restorations for St. Matthew's are expected to be completed at the end of this month.

The Northwest Montana Fair will last through this weekend.