Walla Walla Fair & Frontier Days organizers ‘hopeful’ for 2021 dates after 2020 pandemic cancellation
Published 8:00 am Thursday, January 28, 2021
- A procession comes down Main Street on a weekend in 2020 to promote Walla Walla Fair & Frontier Days, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Organizers this year are working to try and prevent that from happening again.
Walla Walla County fair organizers are determined to keep the pandemic from closing down the event this year.
The 2021 Walla Walla Fair & Frontier Days is scheduled for Sept. 1-5.
Organizers said they are planning on the 2021 dates holding, but all options are on the table following the cancellation of the 2020 event.
In a release sent Wednesday, members of the fair’s management said they were “ready” and “hopeful” that this year’s event will take place in person.
Fair Board President Kevin Smith will be putting together a committee to start planning alternative options for how to conduct the event, if necessary.
Newly hired General Manager Greg Lybeck will work with the committee to research the success of fairs across the country and determine plans for how to make the fair happen, according to the release.
Fair managers and the board will work with the Walla Walla County Cattlemen’s Association to form three plans for this year’s livestock auction to make sure area youth raising livestock are able to sell their animals.
“Again, our hope is to host our long-standing community event in person,” organizers said in the release, “but (we) want our supporters to know we are moving forward for the 155th Walla Walla Fair & Frontier Days.”
The fair’s main entertainment, legendary pop-rock band Chicago, was postponed from 2020 and is slated to perform this year instead.
