Name: Almost half of Tennessee's county fairs are cancelled, but some are still moving forward with festivities
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Almost half of Tennessee's county fairs are cancelled, but some are still moving forward with festivities

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Breaking NewsThe Jefferson County Fair decided to join almost half of other fairs in the state and cancel. The Sevier County Fair is proceeding with more precautions.9:49 PM EDT June 20, 2020TENNESSEE, USA — Almost half of Tennessee's annual fairs are not happening this year, including the majority of county fairs in East Tennessee. But, some are taking the chance and going forward with regular plans.The Tennessee Valley Fair in Knoxville called of this year's festivities at the beginning of June. Since then, smaller county fairs have followed that lead to close the gates for 2020.According to the , there are 59 fairs across the state of Tennessee, with 26 cancelling, 26 still going forward and the rest undecided.For the , the decision to cancel wasn't an easy road. President of the Jefferson County Fair, Sam Thompson, said a lot of thought, prayer and tears went into the call.RELATED:"We realized early in March that things were probably gonna progress to a point where we probably weren't gonna be able to have a fair," Thompson nodded.The fair board decided at the beginning of June the twirling and twinkling lights will be turned off for the year after considering the health risks the event might spark."We decided that we would rather be a part of attempting to help get rid of this virus that we have going around here instead of taking a chance on just infecting one person," Thompson explained.Jefferson County said cancelling was a blessing in disguise. It's a chance to catch up on money lost and prepare for next year.RELATED:"We couldn't really see spending money that we maybe didn't have to get ready for the fair and still have those unknowns that hey, a week before we open up we could get told we couldn't have the fair," Thompson admitted.Down the road, in Sevier County, that's a risk they're willing to take, according to Marketing and Sales chair Tammie Browning."We'll keep rolling, we'll keep planning until last minute and if we have to cancel, then we're just prepared for next year," Browning said.Despite the rise in COVID-19 cases, the is still scheduled for September 1-7.RELATED:"We were right at the verge of cancelling and city officials really wanted to reach out to us and talk about possibilities with that," Browning admitted.Now, they're on track to offer the same experience, but with more precautions in place."Whatever guidelines they have set is what we will end up following, but we're hoping that things will get better in a couple of months," Browning said.The fair board knows some will steer clear of the gates and understands not everyone will feel safe to come out and enjoy the fair. But they hope people from other counties will come in and take a spin."If they don't come this year, we hope they come next year," Browning said.If you would like to volunteer or donate to the Sevier County Fair, you can visit or contact Tammie Browning at 865-453-0770 or tammiescf@gmail.com.The Sevier County Fair is holding a on July 8 at the King Family Library, starting at 6:30 for people to learn more about plans for the year.If you would like to volunteer or donate to the Jefferson County Fair, you can visit and give Thompson a call at 865-475-8805.FULL LIST OF FAIR STATUS ACROSS THE STATE:Anderson County Fair – &nbsp;Cancelled&nbsp;for 2020Appalachian County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled&nbsp;for 2020Bedford County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled&nbsp;for 2020Benton County Fair – On As ScheduledBledsoe County Fair – On As ScheduledCarroll County Fair – On As ScheduledCheatham County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled&nbsp;for 2020Claiborne County Fair – On As ScheduledClay County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled&nbsp;for 2020Cocke County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled&nbsp;for 2020Coffee County Fair – On As ScheduledCumberland County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled&nbsp;for 2020Decatur County Fair – On As ScheduledDeKalb County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled&nbsp;for 2020Dickson County Fair – On As ScheduledDyer County Fair – UndecidedFentress County Ag. Fair – Cancelled&nbsp;for 2020Franklin County Fair – On As ScheduledGibson County Fair – On As ScheduledGiles County Fair – Cancelled&nbsp;for 2020Greene County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled&nbsp;for 2020Grundy County Fair – On As ScheduledHamilton County Fair – UnconfirmedHardin County Fair – &nbsp;UnconfirmedHenderson County Fair – On As ScheduledHenry County Fair – On As ScheduledHickman County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled&nbsp;for 2020Houston County Fair – On As ScheduledHumphreys County Fair – UndecidedJefferson County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled&nbsp;for 2020Lauderdale County Fair – On As ScheduledLincoln County Fair – UndecidedMacon County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled&nbsp;for 2020Marion County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled&nbsp;for 2020Maury County Fair – On As ScheduledMeigs County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled&nbsp;for 2020Middle TN District Fair – On As ScheduledMorgan County Fair – On As ScheduledObion County Fair – On As ScheduledOverton County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled&nbsp;for 2020Polk County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled&nbsp;for 2020Putnam County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled for 2020Rhea County Fair –&nbsp;On As ScheduledRobertson County Fair –&nbsp;UndecidedScott County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled for 2020Sequatchie County Fair –&nbsp;On As ScheduledSevier County Fair – On As ScheduledSmith County Fair – On As ScheduledSouth Central Area Fair – On As ScheduledSumner County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled for 2020Tennessee State Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled for 2020Tennessee Valley Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled for 2020Trousdale County Fair – On As ScheduledVanBuren County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled for 2020Warren County Fair – On As ScheduledWest Tennessee State Fair – On As ScheduledWhite County Fair – UndecidedWilliamson County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled for 2020Wilson County Fair –&nbsp;Cancelled for 2020Paid AdvertisementNotifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings.No ThanksAllow

Breaking NewsThe Jefferson County Fair decided to join almost half of other fairs in the state and cancel. The Sevier County Fair is proceeding with more precautions.9:49 PM EDT June 20, 2020TENNESSEE, USA — Almost half of Tennessee's annual fairs are not happening this year, including the majority of county fairs in East Tennessee. But, some are taking the chance and going forward with regular plans.The Tennessee Valley Fair in Knoxville called of this year's festivities at the beginning of June. Since then, smaller county fairs have followed that lead to close the gates for 2020.According...

Almost half of Tennessee's county fairs are cancelled, but some are still moving forward with festivities

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