Supervisors pan, praise plan to hold County Fair

One official calls decision irresponsible, another says it’s a needed distraction as organizers tout safety measures

Last year's demolition derby at the Ozaukee County Fair drew a crowd as the event typically does. This year, organizers whose decision to hold the fair during the pandemic has been scrutinized by some officials said efforts will be made to space people out in the stands. Press file photo
By 
DAN BENSON
Ozaukee Press staff

Despite assurances that measures would be taken to lessen the potential spread of the coronavirus at the Ozaukee County Fair, several supervisors said they were concerned that the fair was being held at all.

“Holding the fair against the advice of our health officer is really not responsible in the middle of a pandemic, especially as the numbers (of infection) increase,” Supr. Alice Read told Fair Board President Mark Larson at last week’s County Board meeting, referring to Ozaukee Washington Public Health Director Kirsten Johnson’s advice against holding the fair.

Larson told supervisors that there would be “generous spacing” at the fair and that attendance would be limited to 6,000 people, which compared to a “good weekend night.”

“We’re trying to be very conservative” on capacity, he said.

Additional security would be hired to help count attendance and limit access if that threshold were reached and break up groups of people massing together.

In addition, Larson said additional hand-washing stations would be installed, attendance would be limited in the grandstand at tractor pulls and the demolition derby and “thousands” of masks and large quantities of hand sanitizer are being purchased to be made available to the public.

Those measures are being instituted in consultation with Johnson, he said.

There will be amusement rides, but not as many as usual, he said.

The number of riders will be limited to maintain social distancing and the rides will undergo regular cleaning during the day. Employees will be tested twice a day, he said.

The debate on the wisdom of holding the fair comes as one new Covid-related death was recorded this week in Ozaukee County and the county’s risk factor has reached “high,” due to an increase in the number of cases, primarily among young adults and children.

The virus’ death toll reached 17 in the county this week as one person in an unidentified long-term care facility died, Johnson said. 

That follows another death last month. The cause of that death was from an underlying health issue but the person tested positive for Covid-19, Johnson said.

On Wednesday, the number of cases in the county had risen to 282, up from 251 on July 2. The number of people testing negative for the virus stood at 7,152 on Wednesday, up from 6,500 on July 2.

“We’re seeing more young people than before, including school-age children. A lot of them are having symptoms,” Johnson said. “Before this we didn’t see cases in young people primarily because they weren’t in school. But now they are out and about, playing sports, going to day care and camps and other activities.”

Hospitalizations in Ozaukee County remain low, she said, and of those many of them are from outside the county. 

Larson said the reaction to holding the fair from Wednesday, July 29, through Sunday, Aug. 2, was overwhelmingly positive, Larson said.

“We’re doing this because we believe the community has an interest in having some community events. We’d like to give people something to look forward to after some months of despair.”

Supr. Tom Winker said he was glad the fair was being held, reminiscing at how much he looked forward to the fair growing up on a farm.

“One thing this pandemic has done is take away our children’s youth,” Winker said.

Read noted that many school activities, including graduations, have been canceled and that in-person school attendance this fall remains in doubt.

If schools were closed, why should the fair be considered safe? she asked.

“When you put young people and alcohol together, it will be impossible to maintain social distance,” she said.

Being that many fairs — such as the State Fair in Milwaukee and the Washington County Fair — have been canceled, some supervisors said they fear attendance at the fairgrounds in Cedarburg will be larger than ever.

But Larson said that may not be the case.

“Typically, we don’t draw from outside the area,” he said. “And some people who traditionally attend the fair won’t this year” because of coronavirus concerns.

Some supervisors also questioned why Ozaukee County should hold its fair at all when so many counties have canceled theirs.

Larson said 22 other counties are having fairs this summer, including Sheboygan and Fond du Lac, and that Washington County was “walking back” their decision by holding other events, including a car show this past weekend.

“The counties that canceled their fairs are having to deal with mini-rogue events” such as animal shows and festivals, he said. “And they’re not working with their health departments when they’re doing that.”

He said the structure of the Ozaukee County Fair is unique in that it is still free and able to be more flexible in its planning.

That includes being able to cancel the fair at a later date if the Covid-19 outbreak worsens, officials say.

Supr. Lew Herro worried that the county may be under some liability if a coronavirus eruption occurs because of the fair.

But that is not the case since the county only owns the fairgrounds and does not operate the fair, officials said. The fair also rents  Fireman’s Park, adjacent to the fairgrounds, which is owned by the Cedarburg Fire Department. 

As for 4-H involvement, animal showings and auctions will be set up virtually and static displays about 4-H will be set up but not attended as the organization will not officially be involved in the fair. 

Ozaukee County 4-H Program Director Jayna Hintz told the county Natural Resources Committee last week that her office will create a video honoring 4-H graduates and scholarship winners and show it on the organization’s website and in the lobby of Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital in Mequon.

Larson said with the added expense of dealing with the coronavirus, the Fair Board expects the fair to lose money this year, but noted it possesses a healthy “rainy day” fund.

“And this is as rainy day as we’ll see in our lifetimes,” he said.

Category:

Feedback:

Click Here to Send a Letter to the Editor

Ozaukee Press

Wisconsin’s largest paid circulation community weekly newspaper. Serving Port Washington, Saukville, Grafton, Fredonia, Belgium, as well as Ozaukee County government. Locally owned and printed in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

125 E. Main St.
Port Washington, WI 53074
(262) 284-3494
 

CONNECT


User login