The 2020 Columbiana County Fair is the latest Ohio fair to cancel, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fair board members voted to cancel the fair in a June 3 board meeting, based on guidance from the county health department officials and state and national health agencies.
“It became clear that cancellation was the prudent choice for the fair to do its part to improve community health and safety, and reduce the cycle of infection,” the board said in a statement.
“It’s a sad day for all of us,” said John Wolf, president of the fair board, in the meeting. “Unfortunately … we’re not the first fair in the state to cancel. I don’t believe we’ll be the last this year.”
Board members noted that the state’s guidelines for the fair could have been financially challenging for the fair to fulfill.
This decision comes one day after the Carroll County Fair board decided to cancel its 2020 fair in a June 2 meeting.
While the Carroll County fair board discussed having only a junior fair, the financial risks — over $40,000, even after cutting some costs — and the health concerns were too great.
The Carroll County Fair board has a committee working on a plan for junior fair sales. In Columbiana County, the board is working with local auctioneers on an online auction for junior fair exhibitors.
