Plans are moving ahead for the 63rd annual Bartholomew County 4-H Fair to be held early this summer, even as the pandemic continues.
The fair is tentatively scheduled to be June 25 to July 3. This would be the 64th Bartholomew County Fair if COVID-19 hadn’t prompted the 2020 fair to be canceled.
New fair board president Rick Trimpe said last year’s decision to cancel left several nonprofits, churches and organizations — including the Fair Board — on shaky financial ground.
Last year, members of the fair board were forced to conduct fundraisers such as fish fries that they’ve never undertaken before, Trimpe said.
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“That tells you we’re hurting,” the fair board president said.
The fair board’s second largest source of revenue after the fair — facility rentals — also dried up as a result of the pandemic.
Most weddings, class reunions and large-scale events such as the Columbus Scottish Festival would have brought in more people than state COVID-19 restrictions allowed.
Since big events weren’t allowed for most of 2020, the buildings didn’t get rented, Trimpe said.
“There’s no way around it,” according to Trimpe. “We have to have a fair this year. And our intention, as of right now, is to have a normal county fair.”
The fair board had signed a contract with a new midway provider called the Kissel Bros. Shows, Inc.
The Cincinnati, Ohio-based amusement company has been owned and operated by three generations of the same family since 1932, and has largely served Ohio and northern Kentucky, according to its website. They will replace Burton Bros. Amusements, who has provided midway attractions since 2010.
The contract with Kissel Bros. was signed in 2019 because the company requires booking two years in advance, Trimpe said.
The decision to switch midway providers was made after fair board members traveled to Kentucky to see one of the Kissel Bros. midways in action, he said. Some of their top adult rides have names like Musik Express, Eagle Wheel, Screamer, Zipper, Pharaoh’s Fury, Rock-O-Plane, and Paratrooper.
“They have very nice, clean rides,” Trimpe said. “All their personnel wear uniforms, and seem to take pride in what they do.”
At this time, the fair board anticipates that popular grandstand events will return that include Monster Trucks, Demolition Derbys, Tractor Pulls, and Three-Quarter Midget Racing, Trimpe said.
Although there was no fair last year, a large investment of time, money and effort was made to remodel both the 4-H Pavilion and the Family Arts Building, Trimpe said. Bartholomew County REMC provided a sizable donation, so fair patrons will discover a renovated facility called the REMC Family Arts Building, Trimpe said.
“If other companies want to donate a significant amount for remodeling, we can put their name on a building as well,” the fair board president said.
While Trimpe, selected last month to succeed Mark Case, is happy to discuss tentative plans, he is also careful not to make promises. As the director of maintenance for all Bartholomew County government buildings, Trimpe has played a significant role in keeping COVID-19 out of a number of public buildings.
The new fair board president knows better than most people that Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and health officials will have the final authority on whether restrictions will be in place in late June.
Adjustments, scale-backs and scenarios have been examined that include plenty of hand-washing stations, according to a number of fair board members.
“But that’s the thing,” Trimpe said. “Hand-washing stations are expensive, and we have to keep them full.”
The Bartholomew County Fair and the 4-H organization are two different entities. And while 4-H did not feel a direct financial impact last, they did experience a loss.
The number of local kids enrolled in the 4-H program dropped from a little more than 800 members to 527 this year, Bartholomew County Extension director Elisabeth Smith Eaton said.
The good news is that extension educators were told to plan for in-person 4-H exhibitions this summer by Purdue Extension officials in West Lafayette, Eaton said.
But that directive has neither been placed in writing nor formally announced to the public, she said.
“Now, there could be a fair, or could not be a fair, because it will depend on the county.” Eaton said. “(Having a fair) is our hope and goal, but obviously, we will have to wait and see what happens in terms of state and local health department guidelines.”
Last year, all 4-H competitions were done in a virtual format involving photos or digital video.
In addition, a number of supporters and parents rented the Livestock Barn to stage their own event outside the 4-H organization. The Bartholomew County Livestock Expo, as it was called, attracted about one-quarter of the local 4-H club members at that time.
Over the next four months, organizers will be busy with their usual pre-fair activities and preparations that include establishing rules, hiring judges, ordering awards and creating a 4-H schedule, Eaton said.
But the extension director said she also assumes her office will still have to submit a safety plan to Purdue officials in West Lafayette.
“Every event we undertake has to have a safety plan submitted three weeks in advance,” Eaton said. “I’m sure we will still have to obtain some form of personal protection equipment.”
Purdue officials plan to provide county extension offices with additional guidance next month regarding large events scheduled for the summer and fall.
But even if green lights are given, Eaton said she believes flexibility will remain the name of the game all the way through to the conclusion.
Fair and 4-H enthusiasts need to understand things will not be exactly as they were in pre-COVID times, Eaton said.
“Things will be different,” Eaton said. “We hope we are in-person and able to be together, but there will definitely be precautions that will have to be put into place as we get closer to fair time.”
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The Bartholomew County Fair Board is now recruiting businesses and organizations interested in obtaining commercial building booth spaces for this year’s 4-H Fair, which is scheduled for June 25 – July 3.
Those interested should call the Fair Office at 812-372-6133. They will get you in touch with the vendor manager to provide you with more information.
Meanwhile, parent of students in grades 3 through 12 are reminded it’s not too late to sign-up their child to be part of this year’s 4-H activities. Contact the Bartholomew County Purdue Extension office at 812-379-1665 for further details.
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