The Washington County Fair this weekend promises to be unlike any before. Although the fair won’t be open to the public, youth events will still take place, watchable via livestream courtesy of …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you had a login with the previous version of our e-edition, then you already have a login here. You just need to reset your password by clicking here.
If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
|
The Washington County Fair this weekend promises to be unlike any before. Although the fair won’t be open to the public, youth events will still take place, watchable via livestream courtesy of the Kalona Cooperative Technology Company, KCTC.
The decision to pivot to online-only spectating came soon after the fair’s closure to the public was announced in late May.
“Due to the ongoing social distancing guidelines and precautions… the Washington County Fair Association has made the difficult decision to postpone the public grandstand entertainment and public activities for the 2020 Washington County Fair,” said a press release from the Washington County Fair Association. “There are plans only for the exhibition of the youth communication projects, non-livestock/static exhibits, and livestock projects as safety guidelines allow in July.”
The Kalona Cooperative Technology Company (KCTC) will host the livestream, having quickly gained experience streaming local events after broadcasting Mid-Prairie’s graduation ceremony in late June. Despite technical difficulties at that event, the company is confident about covering the fair.
“The graduation went very well overall,” KCTC Marketing Director Rory White said in an email. “An issue with a piece of audio capture equipment made things interesting at the start but we overcame it, learned lessons, and have made changes in our process to correct for it.”
White said the decision to step up came naturally to KCTC.
“It is exciting to be able to utilize the unique capabilities we have with our fiber optic network in such a relevant and helpful way during this pandemic,” he said. “The amount of hard work that those kids put into their fair animals and projects deserves every effort to see that it is recognized and rewarded.”
Although the fair will look very different from years past, officials are excited to maintain the tradition as best they can.
“Our group is all about the kids and we really have the safety of the volunteers and community at the forefront,” Fair Board President John Wagner said. “We would like to thank all of the fair supporters, sponsors and partners for their support of the fair and appreciate the support as we move forward with this safe alternative for 2020.”
The livestream can be viewed from KCTC’s website or YouTube channel.
