Hastings, Neb. — Each year, since 1872, the Adams County Fair has come together with the communities in our area to provide educational displays, showcase exhibitors, and provide vendors and sponsors an outlet for their businesses. More importantly, it has given our community a place to gather, greet friends, spend family time, and get caught up on each others lives.
Its with much disappointment the Adams County Agricultural Society must announce that this years Adams County Fair, which was to be held July 15th – 19th, 2020, is being postponed and merged with the 2021 Adams County Fair. With the uncertainty of the COVID-19 situation, some hard decisions had to be made in order to keep the community and fair families safe. As the need to socially distance is quite possibly the exact opposite of the purpose of the fair. The Adams County Agricultural Society board, along with federal, state, and surrounding area officials, have reached an agreement that in good conscience, a fair could not take place this year.
Planning the fair takes a considerable investment of time, energy, and money. The Ag Society board tries extremely hard to ensure every persons safety who comes to the fairgrounds every year. But this year, the feasibility of keeping thousands of our friends and family safe, weighed deeply on us. The difficulties involved in social distancing, the potential of only limited numbers allowed in the gates, and the liability involved, were just some of the challenges.
Another primary consideration in the decision was the economic impact on our community COVID-19 situation has caused. Many of our sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, and community members are experiencing financial hardship due to the current situation.
Rest assured, the 4-H youth that are preparing for their season with livestock and static exhibits will be allowed to showcase their projects in some form. The Adams County Agricultural Society along with Adams County Extension Office and 4-H Council are working hard to make decisions regarding this, keeping the safety of the 4-H families in their best interest. How this will be achieved is unknown as of today, what we do know is that… the skills, talents, and knowledge each 4-Her has gained this last year are theirs. They need to be proud of what has been accomplished and celebrate what has been learned. The effort, dedication, and time that is put into their projects has not been wasted.
We thank all of you for understanding that this was one of the most difficult decisions ever faced by the Adams County Agricultural Society. In the meantime, we are going to work hard to make the 2021 fair one to remember. We look forward to seeing all of you at the Adams County Fair, July 14th – 18th, 2021.
