Warren County A&L Fair president Regan Kelsey reported at the county Economic and Agricultural Develop-ment Committee meeting Tuesday night with some updates on the opening of the next year’s fair. 

Being that our fair is the only one in Middle Tennessee with free admission, controlling who enters and exits made it difficult to open in 2020. Also, having so many people congregate in one place could have enhanced the spread of COVID-19.

Committee member Ron Lee said, “We miss it, but it was probably the right choice.” 

Not having an event in 2020 hurt the fair financially, Kelsey said, meaning next year’s fair is crucial for it to continue.

The fair board applied for a state agriculture grant where it may receive up to $200,000. A decision on how much of that the fair will receive won’t be known until the end of the year.

That’s just in time for the planning process to start in 2021. 

The fair received money from the county last year for permanent improvements and the fair saved money on its insurance since most of the premium goes to covering the actual event.