The Moose Jaw Exhibition Company has announced that this year’s Hometown Fair and Parade will not be taking place due to the ongoing concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Hometown Fair and Parade was going to be a four-day event this year, from June 18-21, but the continued uncertainty of when the pandemic restrictions on crowds will be lifted means that the annual summer event is not likely to be possible.
Based on the phases of the Re-Open Saskatchewan plan laid out by the provincial government on April 23, by the time the Hometown Fair was meant to take place, the province would likely be at the stage where only groups of 15 or 30 people are allowed to gather at a time.
“Obviously [that] wouldn't work, with the size of the Fair,” said George Fowler, general manager at the Moose Jaw Exhibition Company. “There'd just be too much social interaction to be safe.”
As a result, the board of directors made the decision to cancel the fair and parade with the safety of Fair attendees in mind, said Fowler.
“It’s not a decision that you want to have to make, but we just felt for everyone’s safety and what government regulations that are in place, we had no choice but to cancel at this point,” said Fowler.
The Hometown Fair and Parade are a package deal, said Fowler, which is why both events will not be taking place.
The parade tends to draw as many as 4,000 spectators and requires both security and insurance to take place — a financial cost that is covered by the fair’s revenue each year. It was also unclear how crowds would be able to properly social distance at such an event.
For these reasons, organizers had to cancel both events in tandem, much to their disappointment.
Organizers begin working on planning the next year’s Fair almost immediately after the conclusion of the event each year and are hoping that the return of the Hometown Fair and Parade in 2021 will be worth the wait.
“We think we had an amazing lineup at the Fair this year, so hopefully we can duplicate it again next year,” said Fowler. “At this time, with everything that's going on, we hope everyone stays safe and follows the government's guidelines.”
