Guidelines from Gov. JB Pritzker’s office regulating the number of people allowed to congregate shrank over the past few weeks from 1,000 to 50 to, finally, 10. County fairs canceled expositions, contests and other events back when that number was 250.
The other problem, Tyrrell said, is a delay in reimbursements from the comptroller’s office for costs incurred last year. Under statute, the state is responsible for paying county fairs 66.67 percent of what organizers spent on agricultural premiums. That includes activities related to horticulture, poultry, livestock, horse races and rodeos.
Tyrrell said fair organizers “have never received that” — in recent years, they were reimbursed 25 percent of eligible costs.
“That’s beginning to hurt a lot of fairs in the state of Illinois. We’re told it’s been at the comptroller’s office since December,” he said. “Possibly if the state would pay their bills, it would really help fairs.”
County fairs in Illinois begin hosting their main events in June. If the novel coronavirus pandemic continues into the summer, forcing fairs to begin cancelling, Tyrrell said “it would be devastating.”
Tyrrell is the vice president of the Sandwich Fair’s board in northern Illinois’ DeKalb County, one of the largest in the state in terms of fair entrants. He said county organizers of summer events have not yet discussed fair cancellations, and are taking “a wait-and-see attitude.”
