Southwest Minnesota Will Be ‘County Fair-Less’

They were some of the biggest things I looked forward to every summer when I was a kid. And they were all pretty close by. Just down the road that way was the Rock County Fair in Luverne. Just over that way a bit was the Pipestone County Fair. The Murray County Fair was up and over that way. And the Nobles County Fair was was a short drive, as well. Lots of fun Fairs to go to!

But not this year.

The Coronaviruse has pretty much wiped out the 2020 County Fairs in Southwest Minnesota.

I checked the Rock County Fair Facebook page. Ouch. Popped over to the Pipestone County Fair Page. Nope. How about Slayton's Murray County Fair? Not happening. And the Nobles County Fair had to bite the bullet, too.

Damn Covid 19.

Those County Fair's (and I'll bet most County Fair's) are more than just cotton candy and riding the Scrambler. For a kid, they're like a mini hours long vacation. The anticipation was almost as big as those days leading up to the Leota 4th of July celebration. And I'm pretty sure the Mom's and Dad's liked it too, although they didn't let the kids know it It was another community gathering, a place to...bond. Bond without even thinking about it.

I suppose all we can do is sigh, shake our collective heads and look forward to next year.