Decision on whether to hold the 2020 Winneshiek County Fair will be made Monday night

Members of the Winneshiek County Fair Board will meet Monday night to determine whether to hold the Fair this July.

Across Iowa, a number of fairs have already been cancelled, including county fairs in Howard County, Franklin County, Linn County, Johnson County and Wapello County.  Other fairs, such as the Delaware County Fair, have decided to proceed.

But the choice for the Winneshiek County Fair Board won't necessarily be either/or.  Several other counties in Iowa have decided to continue with plans for their fairs--but limiting events which would draw large crowds, especially grandstand events.  The most intriguing option taken by a county fair in Iowa has been that of Butler County, which has cancelled "all non-youth events."  That means the 4-H and FFA members get to have their judging done, but there's no midway with rides, no grandstand with concerts and no events aimed at the general public, instead of 4-H and FFA members.

Which option--A, B, or C--will the Winneshiek County Fair Board take?  On Friday afternoon, the Winneshiek County Board of Health weighed in with some advice, approving a message to the Fair Board which read, "All local businesses should consider the Governor's Proclamations and consider whether safety of the all participants can be addressed by following the Iowa Department of Public Health recommendations. Those recommendations include maintaining 6 feet of social distancing, frequent sanitation/cleaning of surfaces and holding events at 50 percent capacity.  If the business cannot meet these recommendations, the business may want to consider cancelling or postponing the event until a time when this can safely occur."