The pandemic has claimed another victim - this time it's the Mississippi Valley Fair that had been scheduled for early next month in Davenport.
General Manager Shawn Loter says in June, he and the Scott County Health Department tentatively agreed on a plan for a scaled back fair this year - canceling the grandstant entertainment, but keeping most of the rest of the annual fair, as is.
Then this week, as COVID-19 cases spiked in this area, they agreed to cancel the fair - Loter calls that "heartbreaking."
"You work so hard all year round to make this happen but we also understand we want people, it's our number one goal, to keep people safe and healthy. And that's why with that plan, I think it was going to work, but with the spikes and everything I think it's in everybody's best interest to cancel it this year and look forward for 2021."
The fair was scheduled for the week of August 4th, and last year attendance set a record at 325,000.
Even with the cancelation, Loter says he and his staff of full and part-time workers will be busy - doing routine maintenace and hosting a variety of events including weekly stock car races, bingo, a tractor pull later this month, and a rodeo in August.
