MASON, Mich. — Pig racing, lumberjack shows, stilt walkers, and more than 20 food vendors will be at the Ingham County Fair, which is back this year August 2 to 7 after last year’s fair was canceled due to COVID-19.
“Now we’re at the point where the sun is shining again, and we’re going to be able to enjoy these wonderful outdoor events like the Ingham County Fair,” said Sonja Skerbeck, co-owner of Skerbeck Entertainment, partner and provider for the Ingham County Fair.
She is especially excited after Thursday’s announcement that the state's outdoor capacity restrictions will be lifted in time for the event.
“What the governor’s announcement today does for us is it – starting June 1 – lifts all of the remaining restrictions that we’ve had on outdoor gatherings. It means we’re really back to normal again at these outdoor events,” Skerbeck said.
The Ingham County fair had 40,000 guests in 2019. Of the 86 local and county fairs in Michigan, it falls somewhere in the middle in terms of attendance.
“We’re expecting crowds to be large, and people are going to be wanting to go outside and do some things after being cooped up for so long…the fairgrounds has over 25 usable acres that we’ll be spreading out for the week between the carnival rides and the food and the entertainment," said Executive Director of the Ingham County Fairgrounds Lindsey McKeever. "So, we have a huge, huge space, and we’re confident that we can spread everyone out and keep everyone safe and healthy.”
McKeever said there will be hand sanitizing stations throughout the grounds and Skerbeck said her entire team is fully vaccinated.
“County fairs are a big deal in Michigan," Skerbeck said. "I don’t know if everybody knows how important the agricultural industry is to the economy of the state of Michigan. But it’s a big deal. In fact, I think it might even be more significant than tourism when you take a look at the numbers.”
McKeever said it's important for everyone to come out and support the vendors because they missed their whole fair season last year.
“We look forward to everyone having their caramel apple, their elephant ear, and all that stuff that we missed out on last year and you’re supporting small, family-owned operations," she said.
Skerbeck said her entire team is fully vaccinated, and she encourages those who have not been yet to do so.
Online presale tickets for the Ingham County Fair will go on sale on June 16 at a discounted price. Tickets will also be available at the gate.
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