County Fair Joins List Of Canceled Events For 2020
By a 6-1 vote, the Ste. Genevieve County Fair board voted to cancel the 2020 county fair.
The vote took place during a special meeting on May 20.
Board president Keith Skaggs reported the next morning to the County Commission that the fair would not be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We went ahead and voted not to have the fair. There was one opposed,” Skaggs said. “So, we’re not having the 2020 county fair, due to the virus.”
Skaggs said one primary factor was concern that fear of the virus would keep fairgoers from attending and thus turn the event into a money-losing proposition.
The other factor was that the virus shutdown had prevented 4-H and FFA students from putting in the hours of training needed to show their livestock and cattle at the fair. For a time, the idea had been floated that the livestock and cattle shows might take place even if the rest of the fair was canceled.
“We are afraid that with the virus, we will not have the count, the good turnout,” Skaggs said. “Then, the 4-H and FFA has to meet their requirements. They have to have meetings to meet their auctions. They have not met at all. They have to have at least four or five meetings to show their cattle or hogs. They have not met any at all.”
See complete story in the May 27 edition of the Herald.