Great Jones County Fair Cancels Grandstand Events

Officials from the Great Jones County Fair in Monticello have made the tough decision to cancel their grandstand events for the 2020 fair.

The coronavirus has taken a massive toll on concerts and live music events. Many fair and concerts have been postponed or canceled across the country. The Rock Island County Fair and Mercer County Fair have both been canceled, and so has the Linn County Fair.

The Great Jones County Fair has made the tough decision to cancel all grandstand events this year also.

According to an announcement on the Great Jones County Fair website, officials say that the pandemic and their interests in keeping everyone safe and healthy have forced officials to make the decision to modify the 2020 Great Jones County Fair in Monticello, IA. The fair for this year was scheduled for July 22-26.

Officials say that since the live performances of entertainment throughout the country have been put on hold, their stages this year will be empty, along with all wheel and track events that were scheduled.

John Harm, General Manager of the Great Jones County Fair, says that they are making efforts to negotiate the terms with this years entertainers and grandstand events for July 21st - 25th, 2021. He says that they will make those announcements at a later date, and they will address current ticket holders with their opportunities.

Harms also said in the announcement,

Our immediate focus will be with our youth, and to provide a safe and healthy experience for them this summer as they showcase their hard work and projects. That exhibition will be accomplished by keeping within the CDC and IDPH guidelines, as we all address the COVID-19 Pandemic.

As of now, the Mississippi Valley Fair is still a go, but they lost one of their grandstand acts. SHINEDOWN, who was set to perform at MVF on Thursday, August 6th, announced that they are cancelling their summer tour which includes the August 6th show at the Mississippi Valley Fair.