Coronavirus: 2020 Great Darke County Fair concert has been canceled, fair board decides

GREENVILLE — The 2020 Great Darke County Fair concert, scheduled for Aug. 23, has been canceled because of changes in seating and ticket sales that must be made to comply with the state’s regulations on social distancing stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Darke County Agricultural Society has decided.

The 164th Great Darke County Fair will go on, however, from Aug. 21 through Aug. 29, fair board President James Zumbrink and Fair Manager Brian Rismiller said in a letter posted to social media this week.

The fair board would have had to sell every other seat in the grandstand to accommodate the spaced-out seating requirement, and that wouldn’t allow for enough revenue to pay for the entertainment.

The 2020 concert was to feature singers Chris Janson, with special guests Riley Green and Morgan Evans.

And, the fair board said, box seats are being furloughed for the year because the fair board directors didn’t want to have to decide who stays and who goes if a concert were to have taken place.

The directors of the fair made the decision about the concert on Wednesday night.

Refunds will begin going out July 1, they said in a social media post.

Directors are looking into booking the same act for 2021, but said that might not be possible.

Also, all open shows, including livestock and non-livestock open shows, have been canceled for this year, the board said.

Those who paid for parking spaces to accommodate their campers will have to request a refund by July 1 or have their spots furloughed until the 2021 fair, board directors said.

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