Legion, Auxiliary Booth Among Highlights Of Daniels County Fair

Fairgoers in Daniels County have realized for many years that some of the best hamburgers you can find in northeastern Montana are at the Scobey American Legion and Auxiliary Post #56’s booth during the county fair.

“They have always been exceptional burgers,” Legion member Fitch Hons said during the recent fair. “I don’t know if it’s the old grill or what. A lot of people have two or three a day.”

The booth sells an average of 300-600 hamburgers, many of them topped with fried onions, during the run of the fair.

“I’ve had years when it’s been 700 hamburgers,” Past Legion adjutant Kurt Nelson said.

One of the keys for the booth’s success is the commitment by the Legion and Auxiliary Legion members each year.

“We do things hand in hand,” Nelson said. “Neither one would survive without the other.”

But it’s not just those members who are the burger experts at the booth. Other volunteers are needed to step in and fill shifts in order to achieve a successful effort.

“The whole community pitches in,” Hons said of the volunteers. “The Lions’ booth is the same way.”

In fact, an example of the community spirit can be seen by items that each booth provides. While the Legion booth offers its extremely tasty burgers, customers then walk a few feet to obtain their soft drink beverage of choice from the Lions Club’s booth.

“I don’t remember them ever serving anything else except hamburgers,” Hons said of the Legion.

He feels the Legion booth has been a part of the county fair since the 1950s. “It’s been a long standing tradition,” Hons noted.

Nelson added that the booth’s location at the fairgrounds was moved during the 1980s.

Profits from the food booth helps the Legion and Auxiliary maintain its building. Funds also support programs such as the Boy Scouts and Legion baseball.