Despite shortened timeline, pandemic worries, Kern County Fair plans return

Preparations for this year’s Kern County Fair are underway, and despite a shortened timeline and reduced staff, organizers expect the event to mostly resemble the extravaganzas of the past.

The fair did not take place in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, and a miscommunication over a rental agreement with the county of Kern led the 15th District Agricultural Association Board of Directors to vote to postpone the fair by a year in May. However, less than a month after being canceled in all but name, the fair is back on, and organizers aim to make it as big and lively as residents expect.

“One of the things we’ve found is that after not having a fair for a year, it has made it so much more exciting to be able to bring it back to all of our local community,” said fair marketing representative Chelsey Roberts. “It kind of just adds a little bit extra excitement so it’s definitely worth it and it’s fun.”

But pulling off the fair comes with significant challenges and more than a little risk as COVID-19 cases begin to increase.

The financial crunch caused by the pandemic forced the agricultural association, which organizes the fair, to lay off more than half of its employees. Now, a staff of 10 is doing the work of 26. Plus, organizers must complete all preparations for the fair in four months, a process that normally takes up most of the year.

Scheduled for Sept. 22 to Oct. 3, the fair will include concerts, a carnival, fair food and the livestock shows that make up the normal fair experience. Some space

will be made to accommodate for social distancing, and the grounds will close Sept. 27 and 28 for cleaning, but Roberts predicted the changes will not be noticeable to the general public.

“One of the things that our community is used to having is our annual fair so to miss out on it for a year, it was weird,” Roberts added. “Everyone is super excited to enjoy that little piece of the fair in September.”

One of the reasons for the initial postponement of this year’s fair was a contract with the county Services Department to set up a field hospital in the event that COVID-19 patients overwhelm local hospitals along with a mass vaccination site. The contract runs through Sept. 30, and fair organizers initially believed it precluded them from holding the fair.

Far from being a point of contention, valued at the up contract, to $1.5 million, which has was provided crucial funding for the agricultural association at a time when its income has all but dried up.

The reality is, the reason our doors are open is because the county stepped in and rented our space,” said Board Chairwoman Blodgie Rodriguez. “We were literally three and a half months away from having to shut down our doors.”

Still, a third wave of COVID-19 cases could dampen the prospects of the fair. Coronavirus metrics have begun to creep upward over the last two weeks and a state statistical model predicts the case rate will continue to increase over the next several months.

Health officials have started to implement mask guidance that went away during the lull in cases, and further health orders could be coming if hospitals continue to fill. One of the original reasons for postponing this year’s fair was the uncertainty surrounding what would be allowed in late September and October.

Most contracts are nonrefundable, meaning vendors will be paid regardless of whether the fair goes on. But organizers are staying optimistic and hoping the fair will be allowed to proceed.

“We’re just thankful that that’s not the position that we’re in right now,” Rodriguez said. “We’re looking forward to having the fair and assembling some sort of normalcy for our community, and just being able to celebrate.”