The show must go on

POMEROY–The Garfield County Fair livestock show and sale must go on in some form, according to Garfield County Commissioner Justin Dixon. In order to access some reimbursement of allocation money from the state.

Dixon is concerned that a "cancellation" of the fair would cause the County to lose some funding, and cautioned against using that term. Instead, he suggested, it should be called a "restructure" of the traditional Fair. There will not be any attendance allowed, other than a limited number for the livestock show and/or sale.

There will also not be other exhibits, known as "still life" exhibits. It was suggested that events could be staggered to spread out the number of people attending at the same time, and the number of attendees could be limited.

A survey conducted by the Fair Board indicated most people do not want to cancel and are in favor of an in-person event. Whichever plan is used will have to be approved by the Garfield County Health District.

Garfield County Commissioner Bob Johnson stated there are several citizens who oppose having any event, and currently under Phase 3 restrictions, gatherings are limited to only ten people. He is concerned that attendees may not willingly follow the social distancing regulations.

Dixon contends the local kids need to have an event, and is concerned that a cancellation will affect participation next year. He further stated that "we (County and Health District) have the local authority to set our own guidelines." He believes that proper sanitation can occur with the help and support from parents.

However, Commissioner Wynne McCabe added that with schools opening as well, there are a lot of opportunities for lawsuits. Dixon countered that if liability is the biggest concern, "we have insurance for a reason." He also stated that the kids will be in school together anyway, and already exposed to each other. Johnson argued that it won't be just the kids who are affected.

Dixon asked the board to vote to recommend letting the Fair Board subcommittee come up with a plan to have an in-person event, and present it to the BOCC at the next meeting, Aug. 17, 2020. McCabe and Dixon were in favor, and Johnson, while not in favor of an in-person event, agreed to reviewing a plan.