A bummer in the summer: The Ventura County Fair canceled once again
Photo provided Cheri Fitzgerald, Edits made by Brigit Fitzgerald
Crowded fair back when people were gathered together and COVID regulations were not a thing.
May 17, 2021
As of March 20, it was confirmed that the Ventura County fair has been canceled this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the strict restrictions that are still in place. This is the second year in a row that the fair has been canceled due to the pandemic.
“The knowledge has been out there,” Leslie Cornejo said in an interview with the Ventura County Star. “There’s never been an official cancellation because we never calendared it.”
The massive 63 acres of the fairgrounds could make following safety procedures difficult. For example, the fair would have to enforce social distancing, make sure that masks are worn at all times, and also would have to limit the number of people going to the fair to then follow the capacity limits that have been stated for the county.
According to Ventura County Recovers, “Indoor ceremonies are permitted with 50 percent capacity or 200 people, whichever number is less. Effective April 15, outdoor receptions are allowed with a maximum of 200 people.”
The fair attracts more than around 300,000 people each year, which, as of April, exceeds the capacity limit of 200 hundred people. In fact, 200 is less than 1% of the 300,000 people from the previous years.
That being said, it was clear for many that the fair would not be able to make an appearance this summer, leaving many disappointed.
“I was mad that the fair was canceled,” freshman Dylann Breton said. “That is what I look forward to in the summer.”
Although Ventura residents won’t be able to go to the fair this summer, there is still hope. It has been stated that the Ventura County Fair is, “looking ahead for the 2022 event, tentatively scheduled for August 3-14, 2022,” according to The Ventura County Fair Website.
Breton expressed that she is disappointed that she couldn’t “go around eating candy and riding rides with friends” last year, and is even more disappointed by the cancellation this year. Summer is a big time for students to hang out with friends, and the fair was something many looked forward to in past years.
“I used to go to the fair every year,” Breton said, “I’ll miss spending time with my friends all day at the fair.”
