HANCOCK COUNTY — After a decision to cancel all events not related to 4-H competitions, the organizers of the Hancock County 4-H Fair have announced that attendance at the event will be limited to 4-H members and their families, event judges and volunteers. The same will go for the fair queen pageant, one of the fair’s hallmark events.
Josh Phares, president of the Hancock County Agricultural Association, said the option of closing the fair to the public was approved by Purdue University Extension and was the best way to observe social distancing requirements to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“The idea is to limit the number of people and give enough space to parents who are there with their kids,” Phares said.
Most attractions popular with the public, including the fair’s carnival and the presence of vendors, had already been called off. Now, members of the public interested in viewing 4-H projects will have to do so online; organizers are working on options for live-streaming animal shows and digitally displaying other projects.
The Hancock County 4-H Queen Pageant announced on its Facebook page that the pageant will be conducted at 5:30 p.m. July 7 and live-streamed for public access. The in-person event will only be open to the candidates, committee, judges and candidates’ pre-registered guests.
The fair was postponed from its original dates and is now scheduled for July 10-17. It must comply with a number of requirements from Purdue Extension, including enforcing social distancing, requiring all attendees to wear masks, and collecting names for the purposes of contact tracing if anyone in attendance tests positive for COVID-19.
Large in-person gatherings are expected to be allowed in July, according to Indiana’s Back on Track plan for gradual re-opening. If that changes because health indicators are not positive, the fair would still be called off.
Those requirements were not popular with everyone involved in 4-H. At a virtual meeting of the ag association on Tuesday, May 26, Purdue Extension Hancock County director Brian Greer said negative comments online about Purdue’s restrictions and the extension office’s decisions were discouraging.
Greer initially recommended holding a fully virtual fair, but ag association members voted at an earlier meeting to move ahead with some in-person events. Other counties have opted to go fully virtual.
“Many counties have not yet determined whether they will have a face-to-face 4-H experience at the county fair,” Casey Mull, assistant director of 4-H youth development at Purdue Extension, said in an email. “Counties have until three weeks before the event to complete their locally developed COVID-19 safety plan with local emergency management, public health and local officials.”
Holding an in-person event causes complications. At the meeting earlier this week, some volunteers and event superintendents voiced unhappiness about the prospect of wearing masks in July heat and the idea that the exhibition hall would not be open to the public. Some superintendents said they were unwilling to be responsible for enforcing restrictions.
But enforcement is necessary, Phares said, to keep people safe and because the ag association, Purdue Extension Hancock County and Purdue University could all face consequences if something goes wrong.
“It’s about 50-50,” Phares said of the public response. “There are just as many people who support the decision as those who have concerns.”
Despite some conflict, Greer said most 4-H volunteers and families are invested in making the event work in its new form.
“The overwhelming majority have been supportive,” Greer said.
For now, many aspects of the fair have yet to be finalized. A final decision has not been made on whether to open the 4-H Exhibit Hall, and the schedule is not fixed. Phares said the next three weeks will be devoted to ironing out the details.
Another issue for the event will be funding. Phares estimated putting on the greatly scaled-back event will cost approximately $40,000. Since the fair will not bring in much revenue this year — organizers plan only to offer drink sales to attendees — that funding can only come from donations.
Phares said many generous donors have stepped forward. Some regular donors, however, will not be contributing; amid a struggling economy, they have pulled back.
Phares estimated the ag association needs to raise another $10,000 to $15,000.
“This is not an easy task,” Phares said.
Mull said Purdue Extension is working on a financial plan to help ensure the long-term stability of 4-H events at county fairs.
Many 4-H superintendents, who organize the individual competitions, are still working on the best way to move forward in collaboration with Purdue Extension and the ag association.
Jesse Melton, the superintendent for 4-H llama and alpaca events, said he was not yet sure what his event would look like. Since most of his participants do not own the animals themselves, they have not had the opportunity to practice for a show. Still, he wanted to find ways to honor his 10-year members and welcome new members.
“We’re still trying to have something during the fair. That seemed like the most popular option for our 4-H kids,” Melton said.
From Melton’s perspective, he said, the difficulty of putting together the event under such difficult circumstances might outweigh the benefits.
Jessica Jones, an assistant superintendent for the poultry event, said her show will proceed as close to normally as possible. There will likely be fewer birds on display, as families have had less opportunity to purchase them. A larger space will be used in order to allow social distancing, with no observers in the show ring, and more time will be spent on sanitation. But Jones said she still expected the event to be enjoyable for participants.
“Hopefully, all of our 4-H’ers will come back for the live show,” Jones said.
For every event, Phares said, the expectation is that participants will follow the rules and volunteers will help enforce them. And if anyone isn’t following guidelines during an event, it will be paused until they can get back on track.
Despite the difficulties, Phares said he is grateful for the people who are devoted to the event.
“You can see the passion in people who are wanting to make this happen,” he said.