HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – This week, the Great Northern Fair Board held a special meeting and decided the upcoming fair will be postponed until 2021.
Even with Montana entering Phase Two, many fairs around the state have canceled their events due to worries that vendors and attendees would still not be able to implement Phase Two guidelines properly.
Fair Board Chairwoman Bobbie Dolphay said, “If you’ve got food booths open and nobody comes, they lose out on food and money. It’s not that we don’t want to do it. It’s that there’s a lot of safety measures we have to take…it’s just a battle…we’re not gonna win with this one.”
Board member Tyler Smith mentioned that there wouldn’t be a carnival even if the fair went as planned, because “enough fairs canceled that their route is no longer viable.”
At the adjournment of the Fair Board’s last meeting, a survey was sent out for public comment. Board member Chelby Gooch said 165 people responded to the survey and 60% of attendees said they would still attend with COVID-19 but 80% of vendors said they would not.
As the meeting concluded, there was some talk of possibly holding some type of smaller community event. The board decided they would continue to review this, and asked food vendors to reach out to them if they are interested.
The next fair is scheduled for July 14-18, 2021.
The next board meeting will be held Tuesday, June 16.
