A limited schedule of events has been released

The “traditional” Wayne County Fair that was scheduled for August 9-14 in Palmyra will not take place for the second year in a row according to President Pamela Ferranti.

The Board of Directors had been working with the Wayne County Department of Health to try and put on the annual Fair but given the New York State current guidelines and not enough time to develop the required sponsorships and donations, the Board made the decision to not have the traditional fair. However, the Board did elect to do a few outdoor events to bring the community together.  

The Governor’s latest guidelines did not get released until May 19th which did not give the organization a lot of time to incorporate the latest guidance for County Fairs.

The organization counts on sponsorships and non-fair activities, each fair year, to offset the significant startup costs.  The Board evaluated the cost of entertainment, insurance, tent rental, security etc. against the earnings from a reduced grandstand, gate admission and donations, and determined it just is not feasible to put on a 6-day event for 2021.  

Ferranti stated that “While the number of overall attendees has been increased for Fairgrounds in general, it did not change for buildings (250/building) or grandstands (33%) unless the organization did mandate that everyone be fully vaccinated or shows  proof of a negative Covid-19 test”, but we did not support those additional requirements, and they might be changed again before August.

The Board is planning to host the 2022 Wayne County Fair, as a full week, August 8-13, 2022 in anticipation that New York is fully open without restrictions. 

The Board of Directors did, however, elect to host the following outdoor events:

Sat, August 7 – Derby Day - Harness Racing, 12 pm, and Demolition Derby, 7 pm

Thurs, August 12 – ZBTB - Zac Brown Tribute Band, 7 pm

Fri, August 13 – Junkyardfieldtrip Band, 7 pm

Sat, August 14 – Big Eyed Fish – Dave Matthews Tribute Band, 7 pm, Demolition Derby 7 pm

Playland Amusements will bring rides, food and games August 12-14 and some food vendors will be available to deliver a variety of food items.  Plans for 4-H animal events are also in process.

Specific details will be announced on the Fair’s website: waynecountyfair.org.