Officials cancel Salem Fair because of COVID-19 outbreak

ROANOKE, Va. (AP) — The Salem Fair, which attracts nearly 300,000 people to the region annually, has been canceled for this summer due to COVID-19 safety concerns, city officials announced Monday.
The fair, scheduled for July 1-12 at the Taliaferro Complex, attracts about 300,000 attendees to the region each year. Officials said the fair had to be canceled because the city could not guarantee the safety of employees and guests at the large event, The Roanoke Times reported.
“When you have done this as many years as we have, you think you have seen it all,” Salem Fair Manager Carey Harveycutter said in a news release. “The fair takes months and months of planning and while we are all extremely disappointed, the unknowns associated with staging an event of this magnitude, at this particular time, are simply too great. We feel badly for everyone, but we will be back.”
The Salem Fair began in 1988 and has overcome oppressive heat, gale force winds and torrential downpours, according to a city news release. City Manager Jay Taliaferro said the city will work with Deggeller Attractions to bring the fair back next year.