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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – For the first time since World War II, the Lake County Fair has been canceled, another local impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Lake County Fair Board of Directors, also known as the board of the 49th District Agricultural Association, took the unanimous vote to cancel this year’s event at its Monday meeting, according to Fair Chief Executive Officer Sheli Wright.
The fair was set to take place Sept. 3 to 6. It is held annually over the Labor Day weekend.
Drawing an average of 40,000 visitors each year, Wright estimated the fair to be Lake County’s largest event.
Lake County’s fair now joins more than 40 fair events of about 70 across the state that have announced their cancellation or postponement so far this year.
Fair Board President Tom Turner called the cancellation of the fair “a difficult decision.”
“While we were hopeful that we would be able to move forward with the 2020 Lake County Fair, based on the information we have received from the Department of Public Health, California Department of Food and Agriculture and our local Public Health officer, our fair board was compelled to make the decision to cancel the fair,” Turner said.
Wright said some people posting in response to the Lake County Fair’s cancelation decision on Facebook were upset, but she explained that local and state officials said no mass gatherings would be allowed by September.
There had been concerns since the end of April that the fair would not be able to go forward due to restrictions on large events.
At the Board of Supervisors’ April 28 meeting, Lake County Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace said that no large gatherings were likely to be allowed through the end of the year, and at that time he recommended the cancellation of the fair.
Steve Lyle, the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s director of Public Affairs, told Lake County News that “fairs are asked to work with local officials when making a determination about whether to hold their fair this year.”
Working on alternatives
Wright, who grew up showing animals at the fair, started as the Lake County Fair’s CEO in mid-March, as the pandemic’s shelter in place was getting underway.
At around the time Wright came on board, county and state officials had been in talks about locating a quarantine and recovery site for COVID-19 patients at the Lake County Fairgrounds, a process which was supported by the governor’s state of emergency declaration, as Lake County News has reported. However, county officials later scrapped that plan.
Following Pace’s April announcement, Wright and the fair board continued to try to find alternatives while waiting for more guidance from the state, as the 49th District Agricultural Association is a state agency.
Wright said she was in consultation with Pace about the fair and began working early on with the Junior Livestock Committee to find an alternative for 4-H and Future Farmers of America members who have raised animals for sale at this year’s event.
Because the Lake County Fair falls later in the year, Wright said it gave the fair board an opportunity to see what the state would do and to follow the plans of other fairs.
However, with fairs and events like the California State Fair and the Grand Nationals at the Cow Palace being called off for the year, the odds for the Lake County Fair’s annual appearance appeared increasingly diminished.
Wright said she was concerned not just for the impacts on the local economy but for the companies built around fairs, like those that provide amusements and carnival services.
“Fairs are big business,” she said.
Fair officials said they considered ongoing guidance and information from state and county public health and government officials on the status of the coronavirus pandemic and the improbability that mass gatherings, like the Lake County Fair, could safely and responsibly take place.
Ultimately, as governor-appointed representatives, the fair board said in a statement that it has a responsibility to provide a safe experience to the community-at-large, the people who depend on county fairs for their livelihood, fairgoers and Lake County Fair staff.
“The fair is truly a labor of love that our board of directors, staff, vendors, sponsors, exhibitors, community members and volunteers spend many months of planning to make the fair a success,” the board statement said.
Other events at the fairgrounds – such as the Lake County Rodeo, which had been set for early July – also have been canceled.
So far, the Lakeport Speedway hasn’t been able to resume races, although Pace allowed the Northern California Racing Association to do “test and tune” practice sessions – without spectators – at the Lakeport Speedway on May 23 and 24.
Concerned about long-term impacts
Officials like Wright and Richard Persons, a former Lake County Fair CEO who now manages the Santa Maria Fairpark, have raised concerns about the pandemic’s long-term impact on the fair and outdoor event industries, with many experienced fair executives retiring and leaving doubt as to who will lead those sectors as they return and reopen.
Santa Maria announced June 2 that it also is canceling its fair this year, which like Lake County’s hasn’t had an interruption since World War II.
While the Lake County Fair is holding its own financially, Wright told Lake County News that with many fairs across the state now in the red, the impacts of the pandemic and its shutdown could spell “the end of an era.”
A number of fairs across the state are reporting on their websites that they are facing insolvency and bankruptcy, and are asking for the help of their communities in appealing to the California Legislature for emergency funding.
Meanwhile, Wright is continuing to work with the Junior Livestock Committee on an online auction format and said she feels fortunate to have such a dedicated group of livestock people to help plan this year’s out-of-the-ordinary auction event.
She said to watch for updates in coming weeks on how the community can help support youth in their market livestock projects.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
