Organizers of 10 of the state’s annual summer agricultural fairs have decided to cancel their 2020 season.
Barry W. Norris, executive director of the Maine Association of Agricultural Fairs, says after eight weeks of meetings, nine fairs announced their decision on Saturday and another weighed in on Monday.
Norris says the primary concern is public safety.
"It was a hard decision for all of them to make but they've made that decision that, for this year, public safety is more important than a fair," he says.
Norris says another consideration is the financial commitments of various businesses and organizations that take part in the fairs.
“Letting the partners know that we understand you have to buy a lot of stuff and prepare a lot of stuff prior to the event, so we’re giving you notice and working with their partners, decided that was best for their fair,” he says.
Norris says information about the status of the fairs will be made available on Tuesday at mainefairs.org.
