BILLINGS — When most people picture MontanaFair, thrilling carnival rides and fried food may be the first things that come to mind.
But for Marie Smith, the true spirit of the fair is found inside the Montana Pavilion.
Watch Marie Smith talk about the importance of Heritage Arts at MontanaFair:
For the past five years, she has been the superintendent of Heritage Arts, which includes various art and craft forms deeply rooted in history and tradition, such as sewing, cooking, and horticulture, put on display each year during the fair.
“This is the heart of the fair," said Smith. “Heritage Arts is the cooking and the sewing and the crafts, all the things that the women would have done years ago when the men were doing the fur trading."
Heritage Arts have been involved with the fair since its start 110 years ago. Smith oversees the thousands of entries made each year from participants of all ages. From a sewn heirloom-style quilt to a child's art project, every piece is submitted, judged by experts in the field, and carefully displayed before the fair even opens its gates.
"I never know what's going to walk through the door, so I can't really prep and think about what my displays are going to be," said Smith.
There were nearly 4,000 entries between all 10 departments of open shows at the fair. Heritage Arts saw around 1,500 of them, and organizing it all can mean 12-plus-hour days for her and her volunteers to get everything just right.
"We start a week in advance," explained Smith. "By the time the fair gets open, everything has been judged, and people can come in and see how they placed.”
Ribbons and premiums are awarded in each category, but in recent years, entry participation has started to dip. Smith believes inflation may be turning crafters away from creating, as the cost of materials can add up quickly.
"Your grocery bill is going up. Do you want to bring in a cake that we're going to try a little bit of?" said Smith. "Even a diamond art kit is 20 bucks nowadays, and then you frame it. There's another 20, so it adds up when you want it to look nice."
She fears that without more support, these exhibits and styles of creating could disappear. Still, she sees the value in keeping the tradition alive and holding onto what these crafts represent, and said anyone can be creative.
"I don't want it to go away. It just brings happy times and family connections," said Smith. "We're all creative, but we don't get to show it off. Where do you get to show your quilts? Where do you get to show those things?"
The crafts and entries she sees each year have always meant a lot to her. As a Wyoming native, she grew up in 4-H and said she always looked forward to fair season. Now, crafting is a constant through difficult times and shares that same joy with her own daughter.
“Some of my happy memories from growing up were fair memories," said Smith. "It just kind of has rolled into me sharing the passion of the fair with my child now, so it's kind of come full circle.”
Smith sees each entry, whether it's a jar of jam, a collection of buttons, or even a carton of eggs, as something more, because there is always a creation worth celebrating.
"You might not think it's great, but someone else can see your creativity," said Smith. "It's not always about the ribbon, but it's about the camaraderie and getting to know each other and seeing people and learning from each other.”
