After Canceling Fair, Lewis County Mulls Options, Hopes for Better 2021

Posted

The centerpiece of Lewis County’s summer event schedule is no longer going to take place. 

The Lewis County Board Commissioners made the decision to cancel the 2020 Southwest Washington Fair in a public meeting on Wednesday based on recommendations from Tamara Hayes, fair and events manager for the Southwest Washington Fair, the Southwest Washington Fair Advisory Commission and the Lewis County Department of Public Health and Social Services, 

FFA and 4-H leadership as well as fair management staff also supported the cancelation. 

Hayes told the BOCC that potential alternatives were being discussed up until the decision was ultimately made. 

“I know that (for) the last week, it has gone around about how we would’ve moved forward if we chose to move forward with the constraints of this timeline and we don’t think it’s the right thing to do at this time,” Hayes said during the meeting. “It would be too hard financially to wait until mid-July to know where we’re at with the fair.”

She added that allowing the vendors and participants to know as soon as possible was an important aspect of the decision. 

“We’re still exploring alternatives,” Hayes said. “Could we have a carnival if things change, could we have some barrel racing if things change, I don’t know, but the fair in its 75,000-person attendance form can’t go on in that particular format this year.”

Lewis County Public Health and Social Services Director J.P. Anderson and Health Officer Dr. Rachel Wood supported the decision, according to Hayes. 

On a phone call that took place with fair managers from around Washington on Wednesday morning, Hayes said she learned that fairs in other counties are also being canceled. The Thurston County fair has also been canceled, as of this week.

“It is just one (fair) falling after another,” Hayes said. “Evergreen State Fair and Northwest Washington Fair both closed their fairs to the public last week and that really kind of helped to make the decision and understand it was the right decision for our community.”

Sybil Kuhn, secretary of the The Southwest Washington Fair Advisory Commission, added the decision was difficult for the advisory commission to ultimately settle on and the uncertainty of the future is what forced their hand.

“I myself was not strongly going towards (deciding to cancel),” Kuhn said. “At the same time, not having a clue as to what the next weeks to months are going to bring and having that many people on the fairgrounds, we weren’t sure, as a group, if that could even be attained.”

Commissioner Edna Fund was clear about wanting to make sure “COVID-compliant” alternatives to the fair were explored, while Hayes maintained that other options for events during the fair week are expected to be looked at as possible recourse. 



“Whether it’s all the kids decorating the fence along the fairgrounds, you know, that’s a small thing we can do,” Hayes said. “If it’s competitions online, if we have the ability to have some sort of horse event out there, I’m not closing the door on the activities and exploring those alternatives.” 

A survey sent by Hayes to the Southwest Washington Fair’s various superintendents, public safety officers, the rodeo committee and the market sale committee yielded 52 responses from those affiliated. 

The responses, Hayes said, also helped paint a clearer picture regarding the outlook of this year’s fair. 

“It talked about ‘Do you think we should have a fair, yes or no? If we do and it has to meet these kinds of standards, will you be willing to help?’ and everything,” Hayes said. “57.5 (percent) said yes to having a fair and 42.5 (percent) said no. So, it made me feel a little bit better with our decision knowing that the community felt very similar, that this is a hard decision to make.” 

Commissioner Bobby Jackson wanted to be clear that the fair isn’t shut down permanently, rather, only this year’s fair. He also stressed the importance of drawing attention next year’s fair. 

“I think it’s going to be imperative, whatever we do, that we are promoting what you have here, August 17-21, 2021, as a reunion fair,” Jackson said. “To go ahead and get that built up in people’s minds that this is not the end of the Southwest Washington Fair.” 

The decision led Jackson to speak on the full impact that COVID-19 has continued to have on those in Lewis County. 

“To lose something that is so absolutely precious to this community, I know just for one year, but it seems like everything we are watching fall to the wayside as we get into summertime, it’s having an effect on our community,” Jackson said. “A huge effect on our community, and not for the good.”

For Fund, the decision hit close to home. She cited her days as a member of 4-H showing at the fair and all of the time she’s spent there as reasons why the loss of the event was big for her and the county. 

As she recalled, only one other occurrence — World War II — has led to the cancelation of the fair in its history. Regardless, Fund’s sense of optimism isn’t lost. 

“I’m hoping we can develop some alternatives,” Fund said. “There’s potentially some other options and I hope people will hang on to that and be creative about what we could do, (while) considering COVID-19. We are just very sad for everyone who’s involved in the fair, (who) give their heart and soul, many, many, many people who have done it for many years.”