Details surrounding the Johnson County 4-H and Agricultural Fair are still in limbo, but the event will likely go on.
Local fair and 4-H leaders are planning to hold the fair, which is scheduled for July 19-25, but the decision will depend on whether Johnson County is deemed ready to enter Stage 5 of Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Back on Track Indiana Plan to reopen the economy by July 4.
To meet this stage, the health conditions in the county must be safe enough to hold in-person gatherings of more than 250 people while practicing social distancing, according to the state’s plan. Factors to be considered will include the availability of hospital beds, number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, contact tracing and testing, the plan states.
The Purdue Extension Office announced last Friday that in-person events may resume on July 1 in counties that are ready for Stage 5, including 4-H fairs, according to a news release from Purdue. Though in-person events are permitted, the Extension Office strongly encourages virtual events when possible, the news release said.
The Johnson County 4-H Council met Monday night to digest the Extension Office’s directives and decided to continue with an in-person fair, but with marked adjustments. On Tuesday, the council sent a letter to 4-H youth and their families informing them of the changes.
The precautions were put in place based on guidelines from Purdue University, said Johnson County 4-H Youth Development Extension Educator Heather Dougherty.
The biggest change will be to the animal shows. Instead of housing animals at the fairgrounds overnight, 4-H shows will be in a “show and go” format, according to the letter. The details of “show and go” are still being worked out by the 4-H Council.
Non-animal projects will likely be dropped off for judging rather than having an open-show format, Dougherty said. Other projects that have a live event component, such as the fashion show, might continue, but a decision hasn’t been reached yet, she said.
All 4-Hers, volunteers and extension office staff members will be required to wear masks while at the fair. Health screenings will also be completed for all volunteers and staff members working on behalf of Purdue Extension, the letter said.
Attendees of 4-H events will be asked to follow social distancing guidelines and register their information in case contact tracing is needed following the event, according to the letter.
While the conditions are not ideal, the 4-H council decided on an in-person fair over a virtual fair to preserve as many aspects of a normal routine as possible, the letter said.
“While some of these restrictions are not favorable or ideal, we have to pick our battles. We can choose to have somewhat of a fair with these restrictions that Purdue University has set forth or we can choose not to follow the restrictions and have 4-H exhibitions conducted virtually. The Johnson County 4-H Council and the Johnson County Fair Board are ready for the challenge in making something work for the youth in our county,” the letter said.
The 4-H council and the Johnson County Fair Board will continue collaborating on decisions about the fair, said Brian Young, fair board president.
The fair board has not yet made a decision on what events, rides and food vendors will look like at this year’s fair; board members said they would plan around Purdue and the 4-H council’s decision, Young said.
With the council’s decision in mind, along with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, advice from the local health department and input from vendors, the board will formulate its own guidelines. The goal has always been to have the best fair possible. Now, the goal is to have the safest fair possible, he said.
“Safety is our top priority; the safety of our kids, the community and our volunteers,” Young said. “All of us want to have a fair and to have the animals at the fair. We are all volunteers. We have had kids in the fair or we have been in the fair. So, we have a vested interest in the fair. But our utmost priority is safety.”
The fair board plans to release more information about the fair in early June, after the board’s next meeting, he said.
“It is such a crazy time that we are not sure how it will all work," Young said. "We are working together to make this go forward for the kids in Johnson County.”
