The 2020 Mills County Fair in Malvern is nearing the finish line.
While Tuesday is the final day of this year?s fair, Monday had a full schedule headlined by the swine and poultry shows. Mills County Extension Director Abby Sorensen says the COVID-19 pandemic made it challenging putting a fair together this year, but she?s happy all of the organizers were able to come up with a plan that enabled kids to show off their hard work.
?We really thought it was critical to maintain some sort of fair for these kids,? Sorensen said. ?They worked so hard throughout the year with their livestock, static projects, and communication events. We really wanted to be able to showcase all of that, but do it in a safe and effective way for them.?
Sorensen says many people and organizations worked together to ensure appropriate safety measures were in place so that the 4-H and FFA shows could go on this year.
?We put together a special subcommittee so that we could really identify every single aspect of every activity to make it safe and effective,? Sorensen said. ?We?ve put a lot of protocols in place. You?ll notice a lot of signage around the fairgrounds. We have hand sanitizer stations everywhere and we have spray sanitizer for gates, tables, or any common touch surfaces.?
One impact the pandemic had on the fair was the schedule. Sorensen says many of the regular events had to be scrapped this year over COVID-19 concerns. However, she says the fair has still been a blast, and that the kids stole the show.
?We?ve had a lot of comments from judges where they have showcased and called out how much time the kids have put into their projects and how well they are doing at showmanship,? Sorensen said. ?I think that the extra time they have had the past few months has really benefited the 4-H and FFA projects.?
For more information on the 2020 Mills County Fair, visit millscountyfair.com.
Check out our video coverage from the Mills County Fair below.
https://www.facebook.com/IowaAgRadio/videos/351604112502575/
