The Williamson County Fair Board met last night and determined the annual event would not continue this year as an in-person event.
The county fair first made its mark in Williamson County in the late 40’s-50’s when it was faced with an unprecedented amount of rain, resulting in an unprecedented amount of mud and logistical issues. Event organizers ultimately faced obstacles they could not overcome. In 2005, the county fair began again to make its mark on the community providing memories of days gone by and memories yet to be made.
On March 13, 2020, COVID-19 was declared a national pandemic. Days, weeks and months have passed. Once again, event organizers of the county fair have found themselves facing unprecedented times and the 2020 Williamson County Fair will not be the same as it has been the past 15 years. Due to the current pandemic, social distancing and guidelines related to large group gatherings, the Board has faced the “pit in the bottom of my stomach decision to not produce a live, on-the-grounds fair this year.
Board members have been wrestling with how to share the agriculture, livestock, creative and culinary arts, Little l’s Farming, competitions, cultural arts, entertainment,fair food, and fun that we have all come to know and love, starting the traditional first Friday in August.
They say it’s always best to make your decision …… move forward…..and don’t look back. During the next several weeks, the Fair Board, committee chairman and volunteers are going to be doing both! Together, we are looking forward to what 2020 “sign of the times” fair will look like for our community during this pandemic. We will look back with pride, knowing that though this year will be different…..it will be the same.
It will be different because you won’t be greeted by a friendly, local high school resident directing you to a parking spot where you would catch a friendly ride, with another local resident there will be no local people from throughout our communities greeting you from the time you arrive until we have to part for the night.
The 2020 Fair will be the same because it will be produced by the same local community volunteers, working in ways we’ve never known. For the next few weeks, we will be envisioning a 2020 fair that will bring to you the same opportunities contained in our vision – to be an agricultural focused fair united by community, providing education, excellence and entertainment.
As we are working on what that will look like, August 7-15, 2020, share your ideas on what your favorite “sign of fair times” might look like for the 2020 Williamson County Fair. Share your idea to [email protected]. Your idea could be chosen and you could win a Family Four Pack with limited ride passes, for 2021. If you are not currently following us through local media or on social media, now is the time; you want to stay atop of what is in store for a socially distancing fair!
Everyone should know that the Board waited as long as they could to make this hard decision. But, given the current pandemic and the provisions of the Tennessee Pledge, the health and safety of the public was their first concern.
