Fair Season Becomes Virtual, as Allegan, Cass Counties Cancel
Published: Friday, July 3, 2020
By now, readers may have noticed that the Exchange hasn't published its annual Fair Issue, previewing the 28 county fairs in Michiana as well as the Indiana State Fair.
The reason is because, due to state and local restrictions resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, most county fairs in northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan simply are not happening as originally planned. Some are moving forward with in-person 4-H project judging, while others have opted for virtual judging. Some are still waiting to see what happens before deciding.
On Tuesday, the Allegan County Fair, scheduled for Sept. 11-19, became the latest county fair in Michiana to announce the cancellation of its 2020 event. The fair has been running continuously for 167 years, with only one previous cancellation, at the beginning of World War II. The decision to call off this year's fair "was one of the toughest decisions we have ever faced," said fair board president Harry Chestnut.
All across Michiana, county fair boards—all facing similar restrictions regarding social distancing and other health precautions—have made, and are making, what they describe as painful, gut-wrenching decisions. In Indiana, large public gatherings such as county fairs are permitted under Stage 5 of the governor's "Back on Track" plan, which tentatively begins July 4.
However, when many fairs made their respective decisions to cancel, they had no guarantees that the state would indeed move to that stage of reopening. And even if Indiana reached that level, county fairs faced the prospect of lower attendance and additional costs for sanitation. Many fairs were also concerned about liability issues.
Purdue University Extension added its own restrictions, banning all face-to-face meetings through June 30. Although that restriction has now ended, fairs holding in-person livestock shows are required by Purdue to follow social distancing guidelines or have the 4-H'ers wear face coverings when 6 feet of distance is not possible. Fairs must provide a virtual option for 4-H'ers not comfortable showing in-person.
Also, animals brought to the fairgrounds cannot stay overnight; they must be taken home after the show is over, as per Purdue guidelines. This is to allow 4-H volunteers to perform a deep cleaning of the barns and show arenas.
Michigan State University Extension has banned in-person 4-H events through Sept. 1, creating challenges for those fairs wishing to move forward without the presence of 4-H staff.
Given the mounting list of difficulties, many fairs have decided to postpone their public events by one year. Last week, the Cass County Fair in Cassopolis and the Cass County 4-H Fair in Logansport each made that difficult decision.
As of press time, there are a few county fairs that are proceeding cautiously with in-person activities that are also open to the public. That list includes Branch, DeKalb, St. Joseph (Mich.), Wabash and Whitley counties. These counties plan to have some form of grandstand entertainment along with the traditional slate of 4-H shows.
In all, there are at least 10 county fairs in the Exchange coverage area that have chosen to follow a virtual format for livestock judging. At these fairs, 4-H'ers submit photos or even videos of their projects to the 4-H office. The projects will be evaluated and feedback provided to the 4-H'ers.
Area fairs moving to the virtual format include: Cass (Ind.), Kalamazoo, Lake, LaPorte, Marshall, Miami, Porter, St. Joseph (Ind.), Starke and Steuben.
At least 12 fairs will offer in-person livestock shows with a show-and-go format. These fairs include Allen, Berrien, Cass (Mich.), Elkhart, Fulton, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Pulaski, Wabash and Whitley. At LaGrange, Wabash and Whitley, the animal exhibitions are open to the public while the other fairs are closed to the public.
Below is a summary of the latest decisions, as of press time.
Allegan—Sept. 11-19 fair cancelled. Details of 4-H judging to be announced.
Allen—July 28-Aug. 2 closed to public; in-person livestock judging with online auction.
Berrien—Youth showcase set Aug. 15-23 for exhibitors only.
Branch—From the fair website: "The Branch County Fair board is moving forward with its plans for the upcoming 2020 fair Aug. 9-15. There will be no 4-H at the fair this year due to MSU Extension's no face-to-face until Sept. 1. However, all youth exhibitors and groups that are showing all livestock, horses and still craft exhibits at the fair will be considered youth open class."
Calhoun—Aug. 16-22; will make a decision on the 2020 fair by July 15.
Cass (Ind.)—Virtual fair from July 20-25; no livestock auction.
Cass (Mich.)—Drive-in livestock shows Aug. 2-8.
DeKalb—The fair scheduled for Sept. 28 to Oct. 3 is still "on," according to the fair's Facebook page.
Elkhart—Show-and-go format for all 4-H livestock shows from July 24-Aug. 1; closed to public; virtual livestock auction begins Aug. 1.
Fulton—Show-and-go format for all 4-H livestock shows July 13-16; closed to public; no livestock auction.
Huntington—Show-and-go format for all livestock shows; closed to public.
Kalamazoo—Virtual show-case planned.
Kosciusko—In-person livestock judging during the week of July 6-10, online auction on July 13-14 will be livestreamed at https://bwfinaldrive.com/auctions.
LaGrange—Show-and-go format for all livestock shows July 11-18; all shows open to the public.
LaPorte—Virtual 4-H exhibition July 12-18; no decision has been made on 4-H auction.
Lake—Virtual 4-H exhibition Aug. 7-16.
Marshall—Virtual fair July 18-24; no livestock auction.
Miami—Virtual livestock judging; non-livestock project judging to be held July 20-22.
Noble—Show-and-go livestock judging July 10-18; closed to public.
Porter—Virtual exhibition July 23-Aug. 1, with online auction on July 30.
Pulaski—In-person 4-H livestock shows and closed-judging of non-livestock projects from July 5-9. Closed to public. Livestock shows will be livestreamed at www.rtctv4.com.
St. Joseph (Ind.)—Virtual judging and exhibition for static projects and livestock projects from July 3-11; no auction.
St. Joseph (Mich.)—From the fair's website, dated May 18: "We would like to assure everyone that it is our intention to move forward. We are continuing to plan for a successful St. Joseph County Grange Fair, this year Sept. 20-26."
Starke—Virtual fair from July 11-17.
Steuben—Virtual fair from July 17-23.
Van Buren—According to the fair's website: "Fair dates for 2020 have been cancelled due to COVID-19. Based on the data collected in a recent survey we have decided there is not enough interest to pursue a virtual fair at this time." Livestock exhibitors can sign up to sell their animals; buyers will contact the youths with offers.
Wabash—Show-and-go livestock exhibition from July 10-18; open to public.
Whitley—Show-and-go livestock exhibition from July 17-23; open to public.
Return to Top of Page