Kansas State Fair Will Go On

In an 8-5 vote, the Kansas Stair Fair Board voted that the fair will happen this year. The decision comes with uncertainty as COVID-19 cases are on the rise in the state.

The Kansas State Fair is set for Sept. 11-20 in Hutchinson.

The event will come with some changes, laid out in a plan sent last week to Governor Laura Kelly for feedback. In Tuesday afternoon’s meeting, KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman advised against having the fiar this year.

The board decided to continue with this year’s fair with changes that include encouraging everyone to wear masks and requiring them inside select buildings, encouraging people to buy tickets online, and cutting down the number of entrances selling tickets.

To encourage people to buy tickets online, there is a $2 increase if you choose to buy your ticket at the gate.

Kansas State Fair President Harmon Bliss said more changes will likely happen in coming weeks.

“If we vote ‘yes,’ it’s a working document. We’ll have to adjust,” he said ahead of Tuesday’s vote on the plan for the 2020 Kansas State Fair. “And there may be things we have to cancel as part of our normal fair.”

The fair will also have changes not related to COVID-19 like canceling rabbit shows due to a deadly virus that could infect them if cages are close together or not properly sanitized.

State Fair Manager Robin Jennison said the board needed to make this decision immediately to give vendors time to prepare and accommodate changes. He said some vendors will be selling masks and hand sanitizer.