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Weeks after the North Idaho State Fair and Western Idaho Fair cancelled their 2020 events, the status of the Eastern Idaho State Fair was still under discussion in the middle of July, less than two months from its scheduled opening date of Sept. 4.
After the next largest event in the area, the Shoshone-Bannock Pow Wow, was canceled by the Fort Hall Business Council, shutting down one of the largest money-makers for the Reservation, the EISF board voted to hold the fair in the face of opposition for counties, many local residents and the City of Blackfoot.
The EISF board voted 4-to-2 to go ahead with the fair at its monthly meeting on June 25.
"We are optimistic that things are going to continue to improve in the environment of COVID," Fair Manager Brandon Bird told the East Idaho News after the board's vote, "and we think people will be excited about an opportunity to come together at the end of summer and hold this wonderful event."
Attendance at the EISF in 2018 and 2019 was just under a quarter-million people. The nine-day event is the joint enterprise of 16 counties in eastern Idaho. The elected commissioners of those counties appoint the members of the six-person board that governs the fair.
The first event held at the site of the current fairgrounds was in 1902 and was originally just a local event. Within 20 years, it grew into a joint fair for Bannock, Bingham and Bonneville Counties.In the fullness of time, it became the 16-county enterprise it is today.
The local debate in the Blackfoot area on whether to hold the fair is a microcosm of the current nationwide contention over every fact, argument, opinion and myth about COVID-19 currently in circulation.
Fair board votes to hold the fair
The fair board meeting lasted more than three hours and was visited by some drama.
Justin Oleson, a fair board member from Bingham County, moved to proceed with the fair. According to the Rexburg Standard Journal, Oleson questioned the validity of the numbers of confirmed COVID-19 being reported. He also stated his opinion that the virus was not as serious as it was claimed to be. He also stated that COVID-19 was a political tool and...