MIDLAND, MI -- The Midland County Fairgrounds will look a bit different this fair season. No brightly lit carnival rides will fill up the midway and the smell of corn dogs and elephant ears will not fill the summer air.
The Midland County Fair Board announced on Thursday, June 11, that the 82nd annual Midland County Fair will not be held this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The fair was originally planned for Aug. 16 - 22.
“Large gatherings such as the fair are not permitted until phase 6 of the Michigan Safe start plan,” said fair manager Trish Steele. “The Fair Board is disappointed that they cannot host the full experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The decision was made to cancel the fair for the safety and well-being of fair exhibitors, guests, vendors and employees, according to the Midland County Fair Board.
“The fair is a summer event that generations of families and guests support each year and look forward to, but this was a necessary decision," said Steele.
The Midland County Fair is planning to return Aug. 15-21, 2021.
While the carnival and entertainment events are canceled, a small portion of the fair will remain in tact. The youth livestock exhibitions are still a go but they will look drastically different this year.
The Midland Fair Board will host exhibitor-only competitions with no public attendance for youth livestock, horse, small animal, dog and cat shows as well as the traditional large animal livestock auction. All open classes and still exhibits will not be held.
The reasoning behind hosting these events is a matter of logistics -- young exhibitors already have been working on raising their animals the last couple months.
“Our youth livestock exhibitors have already purchased market projects and raised their animals. We want to help them be successful with their projects,” said Margaret Wegner Fair Board President. “The cost to implement the modified fair for the youth is our way of investing in the youth of Midland County.”
If the exhibitor-only competitions end up with too many participants, resulting in too large of a gathering size, the Fair Board stated that a virtual competition may be offered to registrants.
The Fair Board stated that registration information will be sent out to youth exhibitors, including any necessary changes to the schedules and operations of the shows.
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June 11, 2020 at 11:14PM
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Midland County Fair canceled due to coronavirus, youth exhibitions still on - MLive.com
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