Plans for the 2021 California Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles are in the works.
Held annually at the Paso Robles Event Center, the fair last year, like many other large events, was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
Fair officials say they are discussing what this year’s fair, if given the green light, would look like.
“Safety is, of course, our FIRST priority, but if we are allowed to host a Fair in 2021, we will,” fair spokesperson Tom Keffury told KSBY News in an email.
In order for that to happen, San Luis Obispo County would need to move to the minimal “yellow” COVID-19 tier. The county is currently in the purple tier and would need to move to the red and orange tiers before yellow is in sight.
To be in the yellow tier, counties need to see less than 1 new COVID-19 case per 100,000 residents reported daily and also have less than a 2 percent test positivity rate.
Keffury says if the county moves to the yellow tier with enough time to prepare for the fair, it would happen, but with certain modifications in place.
“We are VERY confident that San Luis Obispo County is ready to get back to carnival rides, livestock, exhibits, corn dogs, live music and cold beer… done in a SAFE way! We are certainly hopeful that this can happen in 2021,” Keffury said.
The fair usually begins in July.
The event center is currently being used as a COVID-19 vaccine distribution site.
