The show will go on! – Mid-State Fair still shooting for July opening
–The California Mid-State Fair is still planning for a summer of fun, concerts, rides, and attractions. Mid-State Fair spokesman Tom Keffury on Wednesday said, “I just wanted to reach out and let you know that at this time, we are preparing to host the California Mid-State Fair, as scheduled, July 22-August 2.”
Hopes are high that the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic will fade in time for the annual festivities to begin.
Every year, the Mid-State Fair hosts sold-out concerts, carnival rides, fair food indulgences, and cool new attractions drawing hundreds of thousands from around the Central Coast region to Paso Robles.
Last summer, more than 420,000 fairgoers passed through the gates of the Paso Robles Event Center. Concertgoers purchased more than 76,000 tickets to see acts like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Miranda Lambert, Old Dominion, Smokey Robinson, and the Zac Brown Band.
This summer’s line-up includes Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, Dan+Shay, Pentatonics, and Ann Wilson of Heart. Local students participate in 4-H and FFA animal projects that raise hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Mid-State Fair issued a statement last week:
To our vendors, promoters, sponsors and guests,
We want you to be aware that the health and safety of our entire community – guests, vendors, staff and volunteers – remain our top priority.
Considering the recent coronavirus outbreak, we want to assure you that we are monitoring the situation closely and are proactively taking steps to ensure the highest level of safety and cleanliness throughout the Paso Robles Event Center (Fairgrounds). The severity of the coronavirus and its capabilities are relatively unknown at this point; however, our commitment is to stay informed and what is in the best interest of all.
In cooperation with guidelines established by the State of California, the California Department of Food & Agriculture and local, state and federal health organizations, some events at the Paso Robles Event Center have been rescheduled, postponed or cancelled. We will work with all of our partners as this situation progresses.
As we continue to monitor the situation closely, we are committed to providing:
- Elevated daily cleaning practices throughout our facility.
- Expanded signage encouraging people to wash their hands.
- Antibacterial and antimicrobial cleaning solutions used facility-wide.
- Additional hand sanitizing stations at all upcoming events.
We look forward to hosting you at various year-round events and are excited about our 75th Annual California Mid-State Fair taking place July 22 – August 2, 2020.
Mid-State Fair board of directors announces a change in CEO
– On Wednesday, March 18, the Mid-State Fair’s Board of Directors of the 16th District Agricultural Association announced they “voted to separate from CEO Michael H. Bradley.”
The board said Business Assistant Colleen Bojorquez has been named Interim CEO effective immediately. The board did not provide any stated reason for the change in leadership.
Current board President David Baldwin said, “The entire Board would like to thank Michael Bradley for his numerous contributions and dedicated work in leading and producing previous California Mid-State Fairs, and we wish him the best in the future.”
Interim CEO Bojorquez said, “I am humbled and honored to act as the Interim CEO for the California Mid-State Fair. Our staff is very excited to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the fair with our community.”
As of today, it is the board’s intent to produce the California Mid-State Fair as planned, July 22 – August 2, 2020.
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