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A sign in East Palatka informs passers-by the Putnam County Fair, which was supposed to begin today, has been canceled.
By Emanuel Griffin
Palatka Daily News
egriffin@palatkadailynews.com
The Putnam County Fair was canceled last week, but fair officials still want students to profit from the livestock projects they’ve been working on this year.
The Putnam County Fair Authority will host a weigh-in 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Thursday for market livestock projects, which includes only swine and steer.
There will also be an online auction where students can sell their livestock starting noon March 27 and ending noon March 28.
However, there will be no award banquet due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The closing of the fair is so much bigger than just people not being able to ride rides for a week,” Fair Manager Amy Poupore said.
Poupore said details for buyers to register and bid will be posted on the fair authority’s website and Facebook page.
Poupore said the fair usually includes rabbits, poultry, goats and sheep displays, but those animals won’t be eligible livestock projects this year. She said the fair authority has offered to refund entry fees for people who planned to have their animals participate in the fair.
However, Poupore said the fair authority won’t be refunding pageant participants’ entry fees because it plans to host the pageant later this year. She said a date for the pageant has yet to be set.
“We’re trying to still host the pageant within the parameters we’ve been given on group gatherings,” Poupore said.
According to Poupore, the fair authority is refunding advanced tickets for the fair until April 15. She said to receive a refund, people should bring their tickets to the fair office, she said.
According to the president of the fair authority, J.R. Newbold, the organization is still calculating its advance ticket sales and cannot gauge how much money the fair would’ve made this year.
“There are several aspects of it that we don’t really have a grip on at the moment,” Newbold said Thursday.
Newbold said several local organizations use the fair as a fundraiser, including the Rodeheaver Boys Ranch that gets paid to handle parking. He also said vendors often eat at Putnam County restaurants, and their visits contribute to the local economy.
“The profitability of this event doesn’t show its overall economic impact,” Newbold said.
For more information, visit .putnamfairandexpo.com or facebook.com/PutnamCountyFairandExpo. People can also call 328-3247.