Pulling into the Wright County Fairgrounds on the first full day of this year’s fair presented a strange and unusual scene. No food stands open, no midway, no exhibits on display in the 4-H building and no livestock except for the entries there for just that day.
Yes it was indeed a very different fair than what we are used to, but keep in mind that we at least had some semblance of a fair for the sake of the youth of our county and surrounding counties. Make no mistake, it was by no means an ideal situation for everyone and some of the youth and parents decided not to participate. For the ones that did, they at least saw all their hours of work on their projects not be in vain as the best was made of a bad situation.
So huge kudos to the manager Tricia Rosendahl and our fantastic fair board for spending countless hours and some sleepless nights trying to put something together that would fit the guidelines of the IDPH and be as safe as possible for everyone involved. In spite of COVID-19, they were determined to still salvage what they could out of the usual fair schedule. It was likely something like “keep the coffee coming please, because we’re going to be at this for awhile” in trying to plan it all out. Somehow it all worked, and even though the usual trophies and ribbons were handed out and checks were still presented without an auction, thanks to a long list of sponsors, ALL of these exhibitors are winners for having a board that truly cares about them.
So I challenge all of this year’s exhibitors, if you haven’t done so already, make sure you write a letter to the fair board and express your appreciation for what they went through to make it all possible for you. They truly care, and wanted you to have a positive experience and as close to a ‘normal summer’ as possible. This is just another example of why we are so proud to live here in Wright County!
