ST. LOUIS — Fairs in the St. Louis area have been canceled due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
A few counties made announcements on their social media pages with some saying how maintaining social distance would be difficult to do at a fair.
Here is a list of fairs that have been canceled so far:
St. Charles County Fair
On June 8, the St. Charles County Fair Board issued a press release and said it has been working over the past few weeks to try to come up with a plan to hold the fair.
The board said it does not feel it is "feasible to follow the CDC guidelines close enough as they pertain to social distancing, wearing of protective coverings and decontaminating surfaces used by the several thousand of our fair patrons.”
The board decided to cancel this year’s fair and encouraged fairgoers to check back for updates on next year’s fair, to be held July 27–31, 2021.
Washington Town & Country Fair
On June 5, the Washington Town & Country Fair board issued a statement on its Facebook page. The board made the announcement that the fair would be canceled this year.
The board also talked about how social distancing and the guidelines they would need to follow played a part in the cancellation of the fair.
“The reality is that the Fair we’re all picturing is not a Fair that would have been feasible this year. Social Distancing and Fairs simply do not go together,” the board said in the post.
The board said it is looking forward to next year’s event, to be held August 4-8, 2021.
Washington County Fair
On July 13, the Washington County Fair in Potosi announced it would be canceled this year.
The fair board made the announcement on Facebook. It said the fair is canceled due to the implications of COVID-19.
“This decision was made by the board after much research, consideration and speaking with local health department officials. The safety of our fairgoers, exhibitors, vendors, entertainers, and volunteers is our top priority,” the board said in the post.
Lincoln County Fair
On May 6, the Lincoln County Fair Board announced the Lincoln County Fair is canceled this year. The cancellation includes the fair parade.
The board said even though the fair is canceled, the livestock committee has decided to offer a fun show for any market livestock exhibitors choosing to participate.
Illinois State Fair
On June 12, the Illinois State Fair announced it would be canceled this year.
Kevin Gordon, manager of the Illinois State Fair, made the announcement with a video on Facebook.
Gordon said the Illinois State Fair explored “every possible option” to be able to gather for the event.
He said it wasn’t feasible to hold a quality event and also ensure the health and safety of fair goers.
Watch the full announcement below:
Missouri State Fair
On July 17, the Missouri State Fair announced it would be canceled this year due to the rising number of coronavirus cases.
Instead of having the fair, the event will “pivot” to a youth livestock show.
"When the original decision to move forward with the Fair was made, the information and numbers were different than they are now," the organization wrote on its Facebook page. "In collaboration with Governor Parson and the Missouri Department of Health & Senior Services it was determined that the best course of action was to work to reduce the number of individuals on the fairgrounds."
The livestock show is scheduled for Aug. 13-23 in Sedalia.
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