Paris, Tenn.–After many meetings and lots of heartfelt consideration the Henry County Fair Association has made the difficult decision to cancel all Fair events except for the Junior Livestock Show and Sale and Country Ham Show due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Those events will be modified from previous years to accomodate social distancing and safety guidelines.
All large events, such as demolition derby, tractor pull, antique tractor show, car show, pet show, etc. will be postponed and hopefully held at later dates.
The following is the statement of the Henry County Fair Association, issued this morning:
“The Henry County Fair Association has a long history of hosting Fairs to celebrate agriculture, community togetherness, and our local youth. Not unlike other local organizations, ours was faced with making challenging decisions during uncertain times. We are aware of the impact of our decisions, but we are equally aware of the potential negative impact on those in our community if the spread of COVID-19 continues or worsens by the end of this month when our Fair is scheduled to occur.
“After careful consideration of data from local government and health officials, recommendations from our State government and the Department of Agriculture, and considering what is in the best interest of our community and our Board, decisions have been made with regard to the 2020 Fair scheduled August 22-29, 2020.
1. All events are cancelled, with exceptions listed below.
2. Large events (Demolition Derby, Tractor Pull, Antique Tractor Show, Car Show, Pet Show, etc.) are postponed with plans to host those events as soon as practicable when safe to do so.
3. The 4-H and FFA Junior Livestock shows (Steers, Lambs, Goats, Hogs) will be held during Fair Week with slight modifications made to scheduling. The Hog Show will be held Wednesday, August 26th at 6:00 PM. For Thursday, August 27th: Lamb Show begins at 10:00 AM. Goat Show begins at 11:00 AM. Steer Show begins at 1:00 PM.
4. The Junior Livestock Auction will be held as regularly scheduled on Thursday, August 27th at 7:00 PM. An online or virtual auction option will be available. Details will be announced as soon as they are finalized. This is to allow persons to participate in the auction who would not feel comfortable attending in person.
5. The 4-H Country Ham Sale will occur as scheduled on Saturday, August 29th at 1:00 PM.
“Our 2020 Fair Books are being distributed to businesses around Paris and Henry County. The books contain photos from our 2019 Fair and general rules regarding livestock shows, country ham project, and livestock sale. The books also contain ads from our wonderful sponsors, so we hope you can pick one up at various businesses in town while social distancing and following local government orders.
“Social distancing measures will be taken to hold events as safely as possible. Any events not mentioned above are cancelled. Masks will be required of any person entering a facility on the Fairgrounds. Hand sanitizing stations will be placed in proper areas to encourage sanitation. Enhanced cleaning procedures will be taken. All participants and visitors are asked to follow the COVID-19 guidelines posted at the Fairgrounds and pictured in this post.
“The Fair Association asks for the community’s support in making this extremely tough decision. Our focus now is to provide our County’s youth an opportunity to show and sell their livestock projects and ham projects for which they have worked so many months. We are eager to hold these events, and hope in 2021 we can provide the traditional Fair as you know it. Thank you for your support.”