Should Unaccompanied Minors Be Allowed at MontanaFair?

A friend shared a post over the weekend that raised my eyebrows.

It's about the Oklahoma State Fair's new Youth Attendance Policy, which is surely stirring opinions in Oklahoma City. Summary: It's new policy states that minors can't be at the fair without an adult parent or guardian after 5 PM.

I wondered if MontanaFair would ever enact a similar policy.

My family of four attended the MontanaFair on Saturday night. We usually go, but sometimes we visit other fairs across the state. This time, we saw Quiet Riot and Ratt before and strolling into the midway with a few thousand (at the most) others.

MontanaFair is fun nostalgia.

Here are our "must-do's" at the fair; get caramel apples and chocolates in the Pavillion, find some funnel cakes, lemonade, and maybe some other deep-fired treats, and go on a few rides.

Some years we'll wander through the 4-H buildings and check out the animals, play bingo, or listen to live music while sipping Blue Hawaiians at the pond. The dog show is fun and the people watching is always... interesting.

Do you let your kids go to the fair unsupervised?

Here's how the Oklahoma State Fair states its Youth Attendance Policy,

All minors should be supervised by a responsible adult. Fairgoers under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or chaperone 25 years of age or older after 5 p.m. ID may be required. Eligible adults may accompany up to five (5) minors. Adults are required to remain at the Oklahoma State Fair while the minors are in attendance.

Minors in violation of this policy are subject to removal from the event. There are exemptions for recognized groups like 4-H, various youth programs, etc. The Oklahoma State Fair also has metal detectors at all gates.

They enacted the policy after an incident last year eerily similar to Billings.

In 2023, the Oklahoma State Fair experienced an almost identical situation that happened in Billings. Minors, guns, and fights created a terrifying scene for innocent bystanders. Parents questioned feeling safe at the fair.

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Note: we saw law enforcement walk-throughs every few minutes during our 10 pm - 11:30 pm Saturday trip through the midway and felt entirely safe. Would I drop off my 12 and 8-year-old girls to run around by themselves? Absolute-ly-fricken-no. 

I would love to hear your thoughts. Do you think MontanaFair should implement a policy similar to Oklahoma's? You can reach me at michael.foth@townsquaremedia.com or leave a Comment if you're reading from Facebook.