An abbreviated Junior Fair will take place at the Brown County Fairgrounds from Sept. 27 through Oct. 3.

There will be no senior fair activities due to precautions related to the spread of Corona Virus.

Food vendors will be present at the fairgrounds to offer their wares to attendees, including the beef and pork producers, but there will be no midway or other traditional fair activities like the parade, talent show or tractor pull.

OSU Extension Educator Christy Lucas said that getting ready for the 2020 junior fair will all of the restrictions has been a challenge for everyone.

“We are going to be focusing on our market shows, our breeding shows and our showmanship classes for our animals,” Clary said.

“We are limiting some of what we offer in a normal year to be respectful of state health guidelines, but we are going to be focusing on the kids to make sure they have an educational and rewarding experience.”

Clary said that one major effort is to make sure that all of the work put in by the kids gets the attention it deserves.

“We are going to be focused on project completion for our junior fair exhibitors. Our animals are going to move in on Sunday (Sept. 27) like normal, except for our small animals. They will just be there the day of their show.”

Clary added that some of the usual activities had to be suspended for this year.

“Some of our fun shows like the pack show and obstacle course at the goat barn won’t be happening this year because we can’t properly sanitize and socially distance. We want to make sure we have less contact between our exhibitors.”

Some exhibits this year have been eliminated due to the public health concerns.

“We are also not going to have displays for our non-livestock projects. They will have their projects judged during the fair rather than prior to the fair like they would in a typical year,” Clary said.

She added that the junior fair is definitely open to the public.

“People are welcome to buy a ticket and come in. There will be a few food vendors that will be open. I just ask that people be respectful and follow the state health orders regarding masks, social distancing and hand washing,” Clary said.

State regulations this year also mandate that viewing capacity be kept at 50 percent.

“We are asking that the general public that’s coming in to please be respectful of the families that are watching their exhibitors to make sure that they have seating.”

The auction and sale process is changing this year as well.

“We are not having a live auction this year. All of the buyers over the past two years received a buyer’s packet in the mail and they have a couple of options on how to donate to our premium only sale,” Clary said.

Buyers can make a donation to a specific exhibitor or use their generosity to help more of the kids.

“They can donate to a general fund that is divided among all the exhibitors that have an animal at the sale, or they can make a donation a species-specific fund like all the hogs or goats and that would be divided among those exhibitors,” Clary said.

She added that buyers can also make a donation to a specific champion.

“On Friday and Saturday, October 2 and 3, we are having a buyers room which is open from 10a.m. to 4 p.m. to registered buyer only. Buyers can choose at that time which exhibitor they wish to support,” Clary said.

Buyers can register Monday through Thursday at the buyer’s office from 7-8 p.m.

Clary asked that all of the kids that have worked hard through many challenges this year be kept in mind by the public.

“I think it’s more important that ever to show the kids that have worked tirelessly on these projects how much the community supports them,” she said.

Senior Fair Board Member Christy Lucas also extended an invitation to the public.

“We hope you come out and have a great time, but if you choose to stay home, we hope to see you next year,” she said.

Shuttle buses will not be running this year as in years past and the front gate of the fair will be closed to vehicles.

For more information on the junior fair, go to https://brown.osu.edu/news/brown-county-junior-fair-modified-schedule-and-updates.

For updates on the fairgrounds and other senior fair information, go to http://www.thelittlestatefair.com/.