The county fair board made a tough decision Thursday evening to call off the public portion of the Johnson County 4-H and Agricultural Fair.
The board announced late Thursday the fair, set for July 19-25, will not be open to the public this year. There will be no rides, food or grandstand events, and the public will not be able to attend animal shows.
Though no public events will be held, the 4-H portion of the fair will continue, but livestock show attendance will be limited to 4-H families only, said Heather Dougherty, youth development educator for Purdue Extension in Johnson County.
Livestock shows will be broadcast on the fair’s website and on social media so 4-Hers can still get recognition for their work. 4-H leaders and fair building administrators are still considering how best to display static projects for the public, Dougherty said.
The Johnson County Fair Queen Pageant will also move forward, but with social distancing requirements and a restricted audience, according to the board’s announcement.
The 21-member board reached this decision because they do not feel it is possible to meet all the guidelines that Purdue University set forth for county fairs to continue safely, said Brian Young, fair board president.
Though Purdue’s guidelines allow fairs to continue if the county has been cleared to reopen fully under Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Back on Track Indiana Plan, the guidelines and the governor’s plan both state social distancing must continue.
With upwards of 100,000 attending the fair annually and an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 plus attendees per day, social distancing would be impossible, Young said. Additionally, Purdue’s requirement to register attendees for contact tracing purposes would be a monumental undertaking, he said.
To accomplish any measure of social distancing, the number of rides and vendors would have to be reduced significantly and spaced far apart. Rides and games would also need to be wiped down between uses, and fair-goers would need to be spaced six feet apart while they wait in line, Young said.
After hours of discussion, the fair board decided it would be better to cancel public events, he said.
“It is for health and safety. We have all ages who come to the fair. We have grandmas and grandpas that are coming to see their grandkids’ projects and play games,” Young said.
While the board understands many want to get back to normal, the board decided it is too soon to hold an event of that scale, he said.
“Everyone wants to get going and get normalcy. But you still have to be safe. Everyone reacts to this (COVID-19) differently,” Young said.
Though the fair is canceled, there will be other public events at the fairgrounds later this year. Buildings are still booked for events and livestock shows, and some grandstand events may be rescheduled, he said.
The board’s grandstands administrator will reach out to organizers of the truck and tractor pulls, derby’s and shows that are typically held during the fair about postponing the events to late summer or fall, Young said.
A carnival may be an option later this year if conditions improve enough to hold one safely. The fair board will meet bi-weekly to monitor the situation and consider plans for future public events, he said.
Canceling this year’s fair will impact the board financially. But events set for later this year, along with cash on hand, should be enough to continue the fair next year, Young said.
