Tuesday, August 4th, 2020
Scaled-back fair schedule approved
By Sydney Albert
CELINA - A revised junior fair- only schedule was approved on Monday after officials were forced to adapt to Gov. Mike DeWine's mandate that limited fair activity.
DeWine on July 28 announced county fairs will be reduced to junior fairs featuring livestock competitions for children and teens, without the usual rides, games and grandstand events, according to The Associated Press. It also allows harness racing without spectators.
"We've seen several fairs that have been doing an excellent job to keep fair-goers safe. Yet other fairs have been connected to outbreaks. Some have disregarded social distancing, and we've also seen a lack of enforcement of the statewide mask order. It's just a real shame," DeWine has said. "Because it is becoming increasingly clear that we cannot have a regular, safe fair in the summer of 2020, I believe we must now scale fairs back."
The revised schedule approved on Monday during a special meeting of the Mercer County Fair Board includes many of the usual livestock shows and harness racing events, with a few other activities such as fireworks and outdoor movies.
Officials said they have added several 4-H and FFA-type activities throughout the week and they were working to add even more.
Fair officials contacted representatives of the Mercer County Health District on Friday to discuss the mandate and what could be done to host as much of the junior fair as possible.
Board members also approved allowing substitutes to show animals in the event a child tests positive for COVID-19 or is otherwise advised to quarantine him- or herself.
In the past, fair rules have stated if an individual couldn't show his or her own animal, the animal could not be shown at all. Due to the circumstances, however, fair officials believed they could modify the rules for this year to allow another child involved in 4-H to show animals if a participant were forced to self-isolate.
Details on whom to contact if a show participant or a family member tests positive for COVID-19 will be released soon.
