Some State Fairs Cancelled Because of COVID-19

For some parts of the country, the state fair can be the biggest event of the summer. Concerts, carnivals, food, they're all part of the events. So are crowds. Large numbers of people, many traveling a long way to gather in a relatively small area.

Because of the danger large gatherings can pose during a viral pandemic, some sates have canceled their 2020 state fairs.

Over two million people attended the Minnesota State Fair in 2019. Last week, organizers of the event announced that the "Great Minnesota Get-Together," as it is nicknamed, will not take place in 2020.

Minnesota fair general manager Jerry Hammer told the Minneapolis Star Tribune, “The alternative is to slap something together that’s unrecognizable and risky...[T]hat puts the fair in a hole we might never come out of.”

The Minnesota state fair joins a growing list of state fairs being canceled. Agdaily reports that state fairs in California and North Dakota have also been called off. Several others are waiting to make a decision.