The Great Minnesota Get Together is going to have to wait for the fall of the “great pandemic” of our time.
The Minnesota State Fair has been canceled for 2020 – it’s the first time in 75 years the show will not go on.
The State Fair’s board met Friday to discuss the future for the fortnight affair, which traditionally wraps up on Labor Day. This year’s run has been in doubt since crowded events – from church services to basketball tournaments – have been scrapped due to COVID-19.
“We’re out of runway and we can’t get off the ground,” said General Manager Jerry Hammer. “There will be no state fair this year.”
It’s the first time in 75 years there won’t be a fair. The Wright County Fair, along with dozens of other county fairs set for earlier in the summer, had canceled earlier in the pandemic, which has been hitting Minnesota since March.
Regionally, the Ohio State Fair has been canceled, and the Wisconsin State Fair is ruling in early may whether it will proceed, with that outlook very much in doubt.