LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Fair is set to return this summer after missing a year due to COVID-19.
After canceling the fair in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, on Monday night the Lake County Fair Board voted to bring it back for this year.
It’s one of the largest events in the county, drawing an estimated 40,000 visitors each year.
The Monday vote was 4-1, with Director Kim Hansen voting no due to her concerns about the fair’s finances, Fair Chief Executive Officer Sheli Wright told Lake County News on Tuesday.
Voting to support the return of the fair were Board President Tom Turner, longtime directors Janeane Bogner and Marcia Chauvin, and newest member Kirk Andrus.
Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed Andrus, a well-known and respected local physician, to the fair board in March.
The fair dates this year are Thursday, Sept. 2, through Sunday, Sept. 5, Wright said.
She said they will start planning in early May.
Wright said this year’s fair is expected to be a smaller event than in the past and more volunteer-driven. She said she plans to rely heavily on volunteer support and hire fewer staffers due to the fair’s financial constraints.
She expects concessions and activities will be spread out more throughout the grounds, with signage and possible capacity monitoring.
One of the changes this year is moving the horse show back to Thursday during the fair. Many years ago it was moved to the day before the fair, which Wright said has been a complaint.
She said Jon Hopkins is volunteering to get the entertainment and music lineup put together. The goal is to ensure that as many local musicians as possible are included.
They’re also planning to have grandstand events including a destruction derby and mud bogs, Wright said.
Wright said the Lake County Fair also will have a secondary plan in case there is an upswing in COVID-19 cases that impacts the event.
Many of the details – such as whether there will be indoor exhibits – are still being worked out, Wright explained. With the state anticipating fully reopening by June 15, a lot of the rules that have prevented events like the fair are expected to end.
On April 2 the California Department of Public Health Industry Guidance for Amusement Parks and Theme Parks was updated to add fairgrounds. That led other regional fairs – like that in neighboring Glenn County – to announce plans to move forward with their events. The Glenn County Fair takes place at the end of May.
On Tuesday Wright was headed to the Tehama District Fair in Red Bluff to see how organizers there are handling the event safety.
In another neighboring county, the Colusa County Fair Board voted earlier this year to cancel its traditional June fair and instead hold a week of events around a restructured Junior Livestock Market Evaluation and Auction.
Facing fiscal challenges
This will be the first Lake County Fair for Wright in the CEO’s job. She came on the job last year in mid-March, just as the county, the state and the nation were starting to shut down due to COVID-19.
In June, the fair board took action to cancel the fair. The year 2020 was the first since World War II in which the fair didn’t take place.
Wright did, however, manage to hold the Junior Livestock Auction online in September. The plan is to hold the auction in person once more this year, she said.
Over the past year, Wright and the fair board have had to make tough decisions to cut costs to meet the fair’s financial challenges, which were amplified by the loss of revenue from the pandemic.
They’ve cut back on staff, so that it’s now Wright and groundskeeper extraordinaire Larry Richardson who are the fair’s two employees. Wright credited Richardson for keeping the fairgrounds in great condition and doing the work of six men in the process, noting the pride he takes in his work.
Wright said the fair also has rented the Phil Lewis Hall to the Lake County Superior Court for jury selection and trials. However, that arrangement is soon to end.
Gov. Newsom gave fairs their full allocation in his budget and they are expecting a little more funding to be placed in the revised May budget, which Wright said will keep the Lake County Fair going for much of the rest of this year.
Wright said the fair is looking at other potential revenue streams, including establishing a year-round RV park on the grounds.
The fairgrounds belong to the community and so need community support, Wright said.
She noted that community members are in fact jumping in to help with beautification projects on the grounds, and Wright said they also have interest from FFA and 4-H members who want to be involved.
The fair has a cleanup day event planned on Sunday, May 16. The Lake County Fair Foundation is asking for community volunteers. Those wishing to participate should RSVP by May 3 by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Wright said it’s important to remain flexible as they move forward and wait to see what happens over the next four months.
To find out more about how to help the fair this year, call the fairgrounds at 707-263-6181.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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Fair board votes to hold Lake County Fair this year - Lake County News
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