INDIANAPOLIS — The list of Indiana counties that will not hold their traditional county fairs this summer continues to get longer.
Add Morgan and Jackson counties to that list.
In Martinsville, the fair board looked at the restrictions and safety measures mandated by Purdue Extension due to COVID-19 and decided it was too much. The board voted to cancel the fair, although 4-H events are expected to continue in some fashion, and concerts scheduled at the fairgrounds might still take place.
"We were just not able to meet the requirements and expectations that were set upon us by the state and by Purdue 4-H," said Fair President Brett Fisher, in a Facebook post.
In Brownstown, there will also be no traditional fair at the end of July. 4-H events are expected to take place in a virtual form.
The fair board issued this statement:
The current projected guidelines in which the Jackson County Fair and any live 4-H event would have to abide by make it impossible to provide the same fair experience we have been accustomed to producing. A large gathering at the end of July currently poses a great deal of risk to our visitors and our volunteers from all communities that come to the fair, and the related churches, schools and places of work of our visitors and volunteers.
Purdue Extension sets the ruled for country fairs. The ones issued earlier in May permit fairs, but organizers at the local level, in many cases, felt it would be difficult to hold a fair under COVID-19 restrictions.
