CBS LOCAL MINNETONKA
For months, ever since the arrival of the first COVID-19 case in Minnesota, the state has speculated whether or not 2020 would see a Minnesota State Fair. Now, the board of managers has made it official.
The Minnesota State Fair has, for the first time in three-quarters of a century, been canceled. The next time the State Fair is scheduled to receive excited fairgoers will not be until, at the earliest, August 26, 2021.
“The State Fair needs to be a full-on celebration. That’s what makes it very special for so many of us. … That’s exactly why we can’t have a fair this year. We owe it to you now, and we owe it to posterity to give you the very best that we possibly can in a safe environment. By taking the tough road today, we guarantee that the fair’s future remains hopeful and bright,” State Fair general manager Jerry Hammer said. “We’ve been working hard and doing our very best with preparations for the 2020 State Fair. The picture was cloudy in March, but things have cleared up considerably since then. Right now is the time of year when things need to really take off if we’re going to have a fair, but we can see that we’re out of runway and can’t get off the ground. There will be no State Fair this year.”
