Local News

San Joaquin County Fair Canceled Over COVID-19 Concerns

March 30, 2020 / 10:50 PM PDT / CBS Sacramento

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SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY (CBS13) — The San Joaquin County Fair has been added to the list of Coronavirus closures, which means pigs, cows, and goats won't get their spotlight, and their young handlers may not get their money back.

According to a San Joaquin County Fairgrounds Facebook post, the Fair Board of Directors suspended the 2020 fair because of COVID-19 concerns and "the current financial situation at the San Joaquin County Fair."

The fair was scheduled for June 18-21. The 145th Dixon May Fair was also canceled. It was scheduled for May 7-10.

The San Joaquin County AgFest, the livestock portion of the fair, is now also on the line.

The livestock show allows junior 4H members and young farmers to show off their livestock projects in the hopes of making the money back they spent on maintaining their animals.

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Some of those young farmers even owe money on bank loans, so not being able to show off their animals in front of potential buyers could affect their ability to sell.

"All the work that we put into it it would be very disappointing to see it all not be worth it," Junior AgFest Board member Kathleen Morelos said.

The San Joaquin County fair board says they're committed to ensuring the junior livestock exhibitors will be able to show off their work and finish their projects this year, even offering a virtual show as an option. So for now, AgFest is still on. You can learn more on their website.

According to the Facebook post, the fair will be held again next year.

After careful consideration and thoughtful discussion focused on the concerns of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the...
Posted by San Joaquin County Fairgrounds on Monday, March 30, 2020

The California State Fair, which is held each year at Cal Expo, is still scheduled to take place from July 17 - August 2.

Coronavirus