Fair cancels entertainment but plans for youth exhibits

The Winnebago County Fair will be a much smaller event in 2020, as the Fair Board made the decision on Wednesday, June 10 to cancel all fair entertainment this year. The move comes in light of social distancing guidelines that are still in place in Iowa due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to entertainment acts like the Johnny Holmes Band and the Great Lakes Timber Show, all open class exhibitions at the fair have also been cancelled.

The Fair Board plans to focus on providing opportunities for 4-H and FFA youth to show their livestock and static exhibits at the fair, although those events may look different than in the past. The Board is working with the Winnebago County Extension Office to plan those events. The deadline for youth to enter their fair exhibits is July 1. The fair is scheduled for July 16-19.

All grandstand and grounds events planned for the 2020 fair will be rolled over to next year, with the tentative dates set for July 15-18, 2021. The Fair Board does hope to have some sort of grandstand event later this summer at the fairgrounds.

State Fair cancelled

A decision was also reached last Wednesday on the Iowa State Fair, as the State Fair Board voted to postpone the 2020 event to 2021. The Board concluded it would not be responsible to hold this year’s event with the ongoing coronavirus concerns, as the fair attracts approximately one million people over 11 days. The Iowa 4-H program is working with the Iowa State Fair Board on opportunities for youth exhibits and shows, and they plan to release more information in the coming weeks.