Greater Jefferson County Fair limited to exhibitors, their families

FAIRFIELD - Regarding the Greater Jefferson County Fair, there is good news and bad news.

The good news is that it's going to happen. This is important because not all fairs are taking place this summer due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19. In fact, the mother of all fairs, the Iowa State Fair, will not be held in 2020.

The bad news about the Greater Jefferson County Fair is that it will be closed to the public. It will be an exhibitor-only fair, meaning the 4-H and FFA members will show their animals and exhibits as normal, but they will do so in empty arenas, or at least, almost empty. Only immediate family members and grandparents will be allowed to attend. All other fair activities, from the carnival to the nightly grandstand entertainment acts, are canceled.

Jefferson County 4-H County Youth Coordinator Grace Davidson said she's glad the fair board, extension council and 4-H came together to make the fair happen.

'Having that recognition for kids is really important, so they can show how hard they worked on these animals,” Davidson said.

Davidson remarked that, for many kids, selling their animals at the county fair is their major source of spending money for the summer.

'I raised sheep, goats, and meat chickens, and sold them at the end of the fair,” she said. 'One year, I bought a laptop with that money, and started saving for college. Raising livestock helped me budget money for those things.”

Without the fair, kids would have to find a buyer by themselves, and given the presence of COVID-19, that would be difficult because many meat lockers aren't open.

Davidson said this year's fair has the same dates of June 22-29, but the events have been moved within those dates to avoid multiple shows in the same building on the same day.

'We want to separate crowds as much as possible, and we're putting more separation between the shows,” she said. 'Last year, they had the rabbit and poultry shows on the same day, but this year they're on different days.”

The fair board is looking into having free-standing sinks with soap dispensers and hand sanitizer. They plan to wipe down the bleachers regularly, and supply GermX for the judges. Kids will still be awarded grand and reserve champions, and receive ribbons just as in a normal year.

Masks will be encouraged but not required, a policy that reflects regulations from higher up authorities in the state.

The decision to hold an exhibitor-only fair was based on a survey 4-H Youth Program Specialist Rachel Fishel sent to 4-H families asking them what they wanted the fair to look like. Davidson said very few people wanted to participate in a 'virtual” fair where they would record themselves with their animal or exhibit and a judge would score them based on the video they submitted.

'It's very hard to judge livestock on the computer,” Davidson said. 'I think a lot of exhibitors are doing a show-and-go, where the animal comes to the fairgrounds and leaves that same day.”

Davidson said the fair is implementing social distancing practices such as closing every other pen in the barns.

The updated fair schedule is as follows:

Monday, June 22

4-H Static Project Conferences, Cambridge Building

Clover Kids Project Conferences, Extension Office

4-H Bottle Animal Interviews, Extension Office

4-H Clothing Event Interviews, Extension Office

Tuesday, June 23

8 a.m. - 4-H/FFA Horse Show, Horse Arena

Wednesday, June 24

8:15 a.m. - Clover Kids Pet Show, Show Arena

8:30 a.m. - 4-H/FFA Pet & Cat Show, Show Arena

8:45 a.m. - Clover Kids Dog Obedience, Show Arena

9:00 a.m. - 4-H Dog Obedience, Show Arena

9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. - Exhibit Building Open, Activities Building

2:00 p.m. - 4-H/FFA Rabbit Show, Show Arena

Thursday, June 25

8:30 a.m. - 4-H/FFA Dairy Goat Show, Show Arena

Following Goats: 4-H/FFA Dairy Cattle Show, Show Arena

9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. - Exhibit Building Open, Activities Building

9:00 a.m. - 4-H/FFA Sheep Show, Show Arena

Following Sheep: 4-H/FFA Meat Goat Show, Show Arena

1:00 p.m. - Clover Kids Bottle Lamb/Goat, Show Arena

Following CK: 4-H Bottle Lamb Show, Show Arena

Friday, June 26

8:00 a.m. - 4-H/FFA Swine Show, Show Arena

9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. - Exhibit Building Open, Activities Building

2:00 p.m. - 4-H/FFA Poultry Show, Denny's Barn

Saturday, June 27

8:00 a.m. - 4-H/FFA Beef Show, Show Arena

9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. - Exhibit Building Open, Activities Building

1:00 p.m. - Clover Kids Bottle Calf, Show Arena

Following CK: 4-H Bottle Calf Show, Show Arena

Sunday, June 28

1:30 p.m. - 4-H Clothing Event Style Show, Cambridge Building

2:00 p.m. - 4-H Communications Event, Cambridge Building

Monday, June 29

6:30 p.m. - 4-H/FFA Premium Auction, Show Arena