Hope still alive for Lorain County Fair

WELLINGTON — Don't assume the cancellation of the Ohio State Fair spells certain doom for the 175th anniversary of the Lorain County Fair. The Ohio Expositions Commission announced Thursday that the state fair, previously set for July 29 to Aug. 9 in Columbus, can't be held because of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Knowing how easily the virus spreads in large groups, we believe it is the safest path forward for the health and safety of all Ohioans," said Andy Doehrel, who chairs the commission. "The financial ramifications of hosting a reduced-capacity fair would be too great, and we need to protect the great Ohio State Fair for future generations." Kim Meyers, president of the Lorain County Fair, was unfazed by the news. "That really has no bearing on us," he said. "We're still told that we can prepare and get ready," he said. "We're doing that, and we're still waiting on an official order and direction from (Gov. Mike) DeWine." The Ohio Department of Agriculture has the authority to cancel county fairs, and so far no such direction has been handed down. DeWine, a perennial fan of summer fairs, has talked about his desire to keep them in place this year despite the pandemic, said Meyers, who also serves as a director-at-large on the Ohio Fair Managers Association. The governor especially wants junior fairs to go forward. "It's a work in progress and we'll have to see going forward," DeWine said of fairs in his daily coronavirus press briefing Thursday. Several task forces have been appointed to examine how animals, entertainment, vendors and other aspects of fairs can continue this year, Meyers said. OFMA directors, Ohio legislators and business owners are all involved. Hundreds of vendor contracts were signed for the Lorain County Fair in February before the scope of the pandemic was understood. Grandstand concert acts still haven't been finalized long after tickets normally would have gone on sale. A huge problem will be balancing social distancing with ticket sales. Meyers said the grandstand holds at most 4,000 people, and having to basically sell only half the seats would hurt. It costs a couple hundred thousand dollars to pay for the big Monday and Tuesday night musical acts, and the fair has to be able to recoup its money, he said. Gate sales could also suffer if people don't feel comfortable venturing into a packed fairgrounds, or if health officials cap the number of people allowed inside, he said. Meanwhile, dozens of other festivals have already been canceled across Ohio, including the Festival of the Fish and Corn Festival in Lorain County. Meyers said those events are much smaller than the county fair, shorter in duration and concentrated into much smaller areas — which is why he has hope the Wellington fairgrounds will be able to open from Aug. 23-30. But neither do those community celebrations draw the same numbers as the Lorain County Fair, which typically has admissions of about 115,000 to 120,000. By comparison, the Ohio State Fair drew 934,925 people in 12 days last year. Meyers said there are nearly three months before the county fair begins, and he hopes the virus is under control by then. "We hope for the best. We understand so much of this is out of our control," he said. "We have to be optimistic. We still think there's a bit of time." No matter what happens, the fair will look and feel different in 2020. Meyers said there will be pandemic precautions in place, including social distancing guidelines, sanitizer available and a stepped-up cleaning regimen. After meeting Thursday afternoon with county Health Commissioner David Covell, he said there was a clearer picture — it's likely the face will make cloth face masks and plastic face shields available for those visitors who want them, for example. While security and sheriff's deputies will be on hand to help, Meyers said it would largely be on fairgoers to police themselves. "We think there would be compliance," he said. Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com.