For the first time since World War II, there will be no Washington State Fair this fall.
The fair’s board of directors announced in July that the annual extravaganza in Puyallup will be canceled because of health concerns over the pandemic.
The event had been scheduled for Sept. 4-27, but social distancing and other required health precautions would make the fair impractical and dimished for patrons.
The fair “is a people-gathering event – the more people, the better,” officials said in a statement. “But that is contrary to the challenges of containing this pandemic.”
Officials indicated they expect the fair will be back next year.
Hundreds of fair vendors are affected by this year’s cancellation, which “will have severe economic impacts on all of our partners, near and far. We also know this creates a hardship for thousands of our seasonal employees. But in this complicated equation, we must also take into consideration the health and safety of all these stakeholders,” officials said.