Staff Report

BELVIDERE – The 2020 Boone County Fair has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Organizers voted Saturday to not hold this year’s event for the safety of fairgoers, staff, vendors exhibitors, sponsors, suppliers, volunteers, and the community.

“The Boone County Fair Board has been closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic data along with local, state, and federal health officials,” President Lyle Lee said in a release. “Although some restrictions have been recently lifted and some businesses have begun re-opening, the openings still include strict safety measures. Some examples are social distancing, temperature checking, and wearing of masks while entering the business. There is significant evidence that this disease spreads very quickly when people are in densely populated areas. This has led numerous agencies to continue recommending that mass gatherings be strictly avoided.”

Lee said the board will be working with local health officials and make decisions on other events that are and will be scheduled at fairgrounds when Boone County moves into Phase 5 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan.

Scheduled for Aug. 10-15, the Boone County Fair has been an annual family attraction since 1957. This year’s event was expected to draw more than 600,000 people.