Have a favorite MontanaFair vendor? Let them know with People's Choice voting

BILLINGS - After successfully adding food and commercial vendors to the 2023 People's Choice Awards at MontanaFair, voting is back again for another year.

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“It's your fellow people here in Montana who are really getting to hear their voice. So, some of it does come with money, higher prize money, than a regular class. But some of it is just bragging rights of, 'Wow, people picked me out of everyone else here at MontanaFair'," said the heritage arts superintendent, Marie Smith, on Wednesday.

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According to Smith, the exhibit buildings have been doing people's choice awards for over a decade. It's a way to let the artist or crafter know you love their work.

“This is all the crafts that you would have seen your grandmother do. The knitting, the sewing, the crochet, and we are trying to bring it into the 21st century,” Smith said.

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Inside the Montana Pavilion, Maryann Morgenstern was busy creating yarn. She is a member of the Prairie Handspinners Guild.

"This is a Lendrum spinning wheel,” Morgenstern said. “We have tried to have demonstrations here at the fair for multiple years. I came last year and this year.”

Look for QR codes around crafts, food vendors or commercial vendors to vote for a favorite.

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“Last year was the first year of the People's Choice for our commercial and food vendors. However, all of our exhibit buildings in 4-H have been doing it for many years,” said Darcie Tempel, the sponsorship and marketing manager for MontanaFair. “It’s become a friendly competition amongst the vendors.”

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Longtime Billings favorite, Brockel's Chocolates, won the indoor vendor award for the second day in a row. It's a sweet reward for the booth, for all the hard work.

“So, we’ve been doing the fair since 1978,” said Jaci Brockel, co-owner of Brockel's Chocolates. “We just appreciate it so much we love the community and we love all of our customers.”