Table Talk

Jeremy Parsons looked out the window fair staff members wiped away tears, and into the gray skies on the other side. His most everyone began a grieving process. expression told the story his staff and “Surreal” was the word of the day, and extended members of his board of direc- emotions ran the gamut. tors were waiting to hear. The air was thick with wonder … and trepidation. It was like the fair had died. The worst of it was over for Parsons, who manages the Clay County Fair in Spencer. Dubbed the “World’s Greatest “This hasn’t happened since the days of WWII,” said the board chairman. “Covid19 is our war.” County Fair,” the Clay County Fair drew TABLE TALK Board members had met for weeks before an annual attendance of more than 300,000. Parsons and his executive board By Karen Schwaller this announcement, gathering input, sharing thoughts, and imagining the world had made the decision to postpone the with no Clay County Fair. The facts were 2020 fair because of a global pandemic. hard to ignore. There would be serious

Now, with a heavy heart, he had to tell the world. financial fallout … for the fair itself, for the city and county, local and area businesses, and for the busi-

Board members and staff filed into the room qui- nesses who would have set up shop at the fair — etly; maybe a little nervously. All had shared input depending on it for some solid income. And for others in some form to help Parsons and his executive depending on fair income, too. board decide what to do. People — both paid and unpaid — were afraid to

Finally, the chairman of the board stood up, come and do the work of the fair for fear of contractParsons seated next to him, and began to read a ing Covid-19. Who would make sure all of the public scripted announcement, so as to be very clear. But health and CDC guidelines were being followed in his emotions would swallow him before he could say every building and all throughout the fairgrounds? the words; and that told those in the room all they The cost of the extra sanitation procedures alone needed to know. was staggering to a county fair budget … and there An eerie silence filled the room before Parsons took over, himself among those grieving a decision were so many other uncertainties. The fair seemed to be crumbling all around them. they never imagined having to make. The announce- Board members wondered if, once public health ment seemed surreal even to Parsons, who has been procedures were put into place, people would recogin the fair industry literally all of his life. nize the fair as they knew it. Would it live up to its A glance around the room mirrored the value of the fair in the eyes of those who sweat and toil all year to make it happen. The eyes of board members were fixed on Parsons and what he had to say. Paid name as the “World’s Greatest County Fair?” Would people return? Would first-time attendees ever come back? How much financial risk was the fair board willing to take if attendance numbers were low? Its very foundation seemed shaky at best.

To have no fair in 2020 would be unprecedented — almost unthinkable.

But they had to think about it.

At the meeting of the 10-member executive committee, when the decision was made to postpone the fair, Parsons found and read the minutes from the fair board meeting of the 1940s WWII era, which was the last time the fair had been called off. It was a world war that stopped the fair then; this time it was a microscopic virus. But the result was the same. 2020 revealed the great value of the Clay County Fair as individuals and businesses rallied around the “Save the Fair” campaign. And they did so with good reason. The fair is a living, breathing entity, and the thought of that fair with no pulse was unimaginable.

The people said farewell to the long-standing chuckwagon races at the 2019 Clay County Fair, then the 2020 edition was postponed altogether.

The difference is, the chuckwagon races entered quietly into the annals of fair history forever. But the fair itself will rise from the ashes of 2020 and return stronger than before.

We know now as a people that nothing is a ‘given.’ Not even the Clay County Fair.

But taking it for granted is one more thing that 2020 took away from us.

And we are grateful.

Karen Schwaller brings “Table Talk” to The Land from her home near Milford, Iowa. She can be reached at kschwaller@evertek.net. v

Dairy webinar on digital technologies

Join Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council for a webinar on May 13, starting at 2 p.m. Ricardo Chebel, University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine associate professor, will address “Using digital technology to optimize health and reproductive management.” The one-hour webinar is free.

The webinar will present a review of available health sensor technologies; explain how to use data to help enhance dairy cattle repro programs; and present recommendations on what to look for in a sensor technology system.

To register for this webinar, go to http://bit.ly/ DCRCmay13webinar and follow the prompts.

For more information, e-mail Luciano Caixeta at lcaixeta@umn.edu or e-mail DCRC at jodee@ dcrcouncil.org.

This article was submitted by the Dairy Cattle Reproduction Council. v