2020 SEMO District Fair canceled due to coronavirus concerns

The 2020 SEMO District Fair has been canceled because of coronavirus concerns, the fair’s board of directors announced late Wednesday night in a news release.

The fair was scheduled to take place from Sept. 12 through 19 at Arena Park in Cape Girardeau.

“This decision does not come lightly to anyone involved,” the release stated. “The SEMO District Fair touches many lives, vocations and has a significant economical impact in our area. Consideration for everyone from vendors to visitors, exhibitors to entertainers and beyond all comes into play. With all of these things considered and with no scientific solution to contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), we cannot, in good conscience, hold an event that would be detrimental to public health and place people in unsafe conditions.

The fair board is working on a way to continue the livestock auction that usually follows the livestock exhibitions, according to the release.

“Rest assured this will be done safely and in a fashion that not only provides a showcase of top quality livestock but also helps to balance the money and countless hours that are poured into each of [the] projects,” the release stated.

“2020 marks 165 years of the SEMO District Fair,” according to the release. “There have been years in the past where the fair has had to go on hiatus. The First World War. The Great Depression. And though the fair was missed in those times when it was canceled, the fair always returned.”

The release stated the 2021 SEMO District Fair is scheduled to take place Sept. 11 through 18 next year.

New information about the livestock auction will be made available at www.semofair.com and the fair’s social media, according to the release.