Organizers of the Door and Kewaunee County Fairs could get some assistance from the upcoming coronavirus aid package being circulated in the halls of the United States Capitol. Proposed by Rep. Jimmy Panetta of California and Rep. Billy Long of Missouri last week, the bipartisan Agricultural Fairs Rescue Act would provide $500 million in grant funding for organizations trying to make up for the money lost because of event cancelations or cutbacks. Door County Fair President Tom Ash says they are not hurting as bad as other fair organizations are across the country, but the grants could offset some of their costs like insurance premiums and down payments for specific acts.
According to the Wisconsin Association of Fairs, 53 of the 75 events including the Door and Kewaunee County Fairs and the Wisconsin State Fair, were canceled due to concerns surrounding COVID-19. Only 13 of them including the Brown County Fair later this month are open to the public.
