2020 Thurston County Fair canceled in response to COVID-19
The 2020 Thurston County Fair is officially canceled due to concerns regarding COVID-19, following a unanimous vote by the Board of County Commissioners Tuesday.
The fair was scheduled to take place July 29 through Aug. 2 with the theme “Come Be A Kid Again at the Thurston County Fair.”
“This was a very difficult decision for us, as the board, to make,” said Commission Chair John Hutchings in a prepared statement. “We support the fair and look forward to the pancake breakfast each year when we connect with the community. It saddens us deeply that we cannot hold this community event this year but had to make the decision. The protection and well-being of our community is paramount.”
The decision aligned with a recommendation from the local Fair Board.
In a letter to commissioners, Fair Board President Ann Shipley wrote that there were financial considerations, with revenues plummeting in the absence of off-season rentals of the Lacey fairgrounds, and that many of the usual participants and volunteers fall in the 65+ age bracket most vulnerable to the effects of the coronavirus and wouldn’t be attending.
Fair staff are working on a plan to continue to hold youth market animal sales with a virtual auction and social distancing precautions in place.
And already, anticipation is building for next year, which marks a significant milestone for the event.
“2021 is the 150th birthday of the county fair and we plan on doing it up proud,” Shipley wrote in a letter to commissioners.
The Southwest Washington Fair in Lewis County also was canceled this week. Scheduled dates were Aug. 18-23.
This story was originally published May 14, 2020 at 8:05 AM.
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