Spokane County Times

The 2020 Spokane County Interstate Fair and Rodeo won't be held in its traditional format this year.

The Spokane County Fair and Expo Center Advisory Board is encouraging those interested to visit the Spokane County Interstate Fair website and Facebook page @SpokaneCountyInterstateFair in the days and weeks leading up to early September to find updates and additional information about this year's fair format, according to a county press release. 

Craig Opsal, advisory board chair, said in the press release that even with cautious optimism in planning, unknowns related to COVID-19 were too big of a challenge and risk to continue planning for a normal fair.  

“When we started planning for this year’s fair, no one could have foreseen the chain of events that would result in the disruption of the  69th annual fair," Al French, chair of the Spokane County Board of Commissioners, said in the county press release. 

The Spokane County Interstate Fair and Rodeo generates $10 million that impacts the local economy. 

"We realize this decision will have a large financial impact to vendors, suppliers, exhibitors and our community," French said in the press release. "Staff is busy planning fun and creative ways to stay engaged with the community and possibly create a virtual fair experience. We ask all our sponsors, partners, and the entire Spokane area for their continued support as we explore a new virtual format for the 2020 Fair. Virtual Fairs are trending around the country in the face of challenges  presented by COVID-19.”