It is with a broken heart that the Allegany County Fair scheduled for July 20-25, 2020 has made the decision to cancel.
Unfortunately, fairs and festivals fall within New York
State Phase IV to reopen. We have talked to everyone we could think of and
exhausted all of our options, but unfortunately the approvals and permits that
we are required to have in order to run are not expected to begin to be
approved until mid-July. That is if there are no further delays between now and
then. This cuts it to potentially our opening day for the confirmation we would
need to run. Also, with the social distancing guidelines and being required to
limit those on the grounds and in the grandstands it makes it impossible for us
to open for everyone.
The fair takes a countless number of volunteers, safety
precautions and time to plan. This not only affects us but all those that
exhibit/compete, attend, our grandstand event personnel, local businesses,
vendors and our whole community. We did not make this decision lightly and
please know we have tried everything we can to bring you fair this year. Many
of us having to make this decision have been coming to the fair our whole lives
, never missing a year and it pains us to think it will not be here this
summer.
We can only look ahead and start getting the best fair we
can ready to welcome you all back in 2021. We thank you for all of your support
and will miss each and everyone of you this year.
Please take an extra moment and think of all of our
exhibitors who call this place home for a week. Those tired morning smiles
doing chores, late night laughs in the barns/buildings and everlasting friendships
that are created during this time are unforgettable. We feel for every child
who will miss out on those memories this year. We will do our best to make sure
they get the recognition they deserve.
We hope to see you all in 2021. Stay safe and healthy.
