4-H Families as many of you know the Marshall County 4-H Council and Marshall County 4-H Fair Board met last night to determine how to go forward with our 2020 Marshall County 4-H Fair. Both Council and Fair Board reviewed every stipulation outlined in Governor Holcomb’s Back on Track Plan, worked with the Marshall County Health Department, and reviewed the guidelines set by Purdue Extension. However, while it logistically could work the Marshall County 4-H Fair Board cannot finically host the 2020 Marshall County 4-H Fair.
Please know this decision did not come easily and the 4-H Council had originally declared that we would host a show and go for the Marshall County 4-H Youth. After reviewing financial statements and upcoming expenses, the 4-H Fair Board determined it could not continue to support the original plan set forth by the 4-H Council as they would have to limit vendors, parking passes, and other sources of income to maintain social distancing guidelines. Thus, there is not enough money in the general fund or savings to support this year’s fair.
This does NOT mean 4-H is cancelled; we are still working on making the best of the circumstances. We will be hosting a virtual fair to allow 4-Her’s to exhibit their projects and showcase their efforts. We are exploring a variety of different options on how to recognize the 10-year members, who will be completing their 4-H career this year.
I know there are going to be many questions on what this looks like. I know you have been patiently waiting but give us a little time to get all the details to you. We will have an outline of how this will look in the coming week. Lastly, I know some will be relieved with this decision; I also understand there will be those that are upset. I cannot iterate enough that the decision did not come lightly. However, we will start to plan for the 2021 Marshall County 4-H Fair and come back stronger than ever before.
