KENAI, Alaska — The Kenai Peninsula Fair scheduled for Aug. 14-16 has been cancelled due to safety concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, its board of directors announced on Facebook.
The annual fair in Ninilchik, about 187 miles away from Anchorage (300 kilometres), will resume in 2021, the Peninsula Clarion reported Monday.
While the board voted unanimously to cancel the fair this year, the rodeo that traditionally happens in conjunction operates independently and is scheduled to continue.
The board’s president, Jim Stearns, stressed that a major consideration was an outbreak in Seward, where cases have doubled in the last month.
“We don’t want to be responsible for an outbreak on the Kenai Peninsula,” Board President Jim Stearns said.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But for some — especially older adults and people with existing health problems — it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
The Associated Press
