San Mateo County Fair Canceled For First Time Since WWII Over Coronavirus Outbreak
SAN MATEO (CBS SF) – The San Mateo County Fair scheduled for June has been canceled as the San Mateo County Event Center is being used in response to the coronavirus outbreak, officials announced Friday.
"In the 86-year history of the San Mateo County Fair, this period is one of the most challenging any of us has encountered. COVID-19 has forever changed our world," the fair said in a statement.
The Event Center has been transformed into a treatment center with 250 beds that would be used in the event local hospitals become overwhelmed due to the pandemic. Constructed with the assistance of the California National Guard, the center is among several in the state set up in response to the ongoing crisis.
Officials said this is the second time the fair has been canceled since 1934, pausing only for one year during World War II.
"Our core mission is always to serve our community first. As a designated Office of Emergency Services resource, we are fulfilling that mission," fair CEO Dana Stoehr said in a statement. "Our Event Center and Fairgrounds will open for the gathering public in the future, and we look forward to welcoming you back as soon as the crisis is behind us."
Exhibitors, along with those who purchased tickets online, will receive refunds.
At least one other county fair in the Bay Area, the Contra Costa County fair scheduled for May, has been canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
