FOND DU LAC, Wis. (WBAY) – The coronavirus pandemic has caused plenty of cancellations, including several beloved summer fairs. But one county decided to carry on with its fair, albeit with some changes for safety.

Festive shows, farm exhibits, and tasty treats are typical for the Fond du Lac County Fair, but this year’s event is a slightly calmer, smaller affair.

“We put a lot of time and effort into the last few months researching what our options would be and how we could be able to continue the fair in a safe manner,” Matt Immel, treasurer for the fair, said.

Immel says this year they’re limiting attendance to promote social distancing, providing hand sanitizers, and even closing down the fairgrounds for an hour each afternoon from 4 to 5 P.M. to do a deep cleaning.

The fair is free, but attendance is being limited to promote social distancing. People are asked to reserve a ticket online ahead of time so attendance numbers can be monitored.

“So far we’ve been pleased with the response, the turnout. The numbers look strong for the next few days,” Immel said.

Though some fair events had to be canceled to maintain spacing efforts, Immel says the community has responded well.

“We were happy that we were able to find a way to scale back and still provide something for the community and for the exhibitors this year,” he said.

The youngest exhibitors were top of mind when deciding to continue with the fair.

“4-H and FFA (Future Farmers of America), those kids are the heart and hallmark of our events and, you know, think of the seniors this year and their last year of high school that lost out on a lot of things. We really wanted to try to give those kids an opportunity to at least finish off their 4-H or FFA career here at the fair,” said Immel.

Many of the young people involved see those exhibits as a great opportunity.

Aubrey Smit, who’s showing cows, said, “They’re really important because it shows kids agricultural skills and you can really just learn a lot and there’s a bunch of other kids you can connect with here.”

Though it isn’t exactly the same, Immel says many in the community are grateful the fair continued.

“We had tons of people that stopped in and thanked us for having the fair. They felt they were comfortable, they were safe, they enjoyed the time out with their kids and their families.”

The fair runs through the weekend.

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