The Washington State Fair, and the rodeo held in conjunction with it, have been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The only other time in the Fair’s 120-year history that it was canceled was during the four years of World War II.
“Consequently, though it was a difficult decision, it was really the only decision possible based on what we currently know,” a statement said. “It was a decision made in what we feel are the best interests of the health and safety of all of our guests, our employees, our exhibitors; basically all of our constituents.”
Clayton Biglow, Hunter Cure and Stetson Wright were among the champions at the Puyallup Rodeo in 2019. The rodeo has a total payout of more than $300,000 and comes in the homestretch of the season as cowboys are making their final push for the Wrangler NFR.
“There are so many things that we will miss by not hosting our Fair this year: the livestock, the carnival, the fair food, the Farm at SillyVille, the rodeo, the concerts, all the exhibits, the commercial vendors, and too many other things to mention,” the statement said. “But most of all, we will miss you, our Fair friends. So though we have hit the pause button on preparations for this year’s Washington State Fair, we will take this time to ensure that we can produce a great fair in 2021.”