There will be no Minnesota State Fair this year. The fair board voted unanimously this morning to cancel amid the COVID-19 pandemic. During a ZOOM call prior to the board vote, General Manager Jerry Hammer said “we all love the fair and that’s exactly why we can’t have a fair this year, this is about playing the long game, this is about the future of the fair this isn’t about doing something now, this isn’t about risking everything on a bad bet, this is about doing the right thing for the future of the fair.” Hammer added “this is temporary and that’s what we have to consider, it’s going to be a tough road no doubt about it, but it’s this year, it’s temporary, what we need to concentrate on is the future.” Since 1859 the State Fair has only been canceled due to the Civil War, World War 2 and the 1946 Polio epidemic.