NEW WINDSOR, Ill. — The New Windsor Fair, Rodeo and Horseshow will not be taking place this year, joining a host of other local and state fairs that have been canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fair board of directors voted Tuesday to cancel the 81st annual event that was originally scheduled for Aug. 20 to 22 in New Windsor, Illinois.
"This is not a decision we have taken lightly and one that came with much discussion,” Brice Weber, fair president said in a statement.
“Our primary goal for over 80 years has been to provide a safe and family-friendly event for our entire community to enjoy. It became apparent that tough and disappointing decisions needed to be made to ensure the best interests of our community and fairgoers alike were kept at heart.”
The statement said the board took into consideration recent upticks in confirmed coronavirus cases in the Quad Cities area as well as areas where rodeo contestants would be traveling from.
The last time the fair was canceled was from 1942 to 1946 during WWII.
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