Organizers of the Cumberland County Fair announced on Facebook Thursday that “after much thought, debate and consideration,” they have canceled the 2020 fair, citing the coronavirus. 

The announcement went on to say: “Based on all information we have available today, it would not be possible to put on an event of this size and make the needed adjustments to adhere to current state of Maine guidelines and CDC recommendations without eliminating many events and attractions and significantly changing the look and feel of the Cumberland Fair. It would also be inconsiderate of the Cumberland Farmers Club to put the additional strain on the Town and its emergency services during this time.”

The fair has been held in the fall since 1868 with the usual agricultural attractions — exhibits of crafts and foods, fair rides on the midway, animal barns, competitions, tractor pulls and more. It was canceled exactly 100 years ago because of the last pandemic, the Spanish Flu. Cumberland Fair has already posted its 2021 dates on its website: Sept. 26 to Oct. 2.

The cancellation is just the latest in a long string of such announcements. Other canceled fairs this summer and fall include the Fryeburg Fair and the Common Ground Fair. According to the website of the Maine Association of Agricultural Fairs, only five of the 25 fairs in the state have not yet announced their postponement to 2021. The Farmington, New Portland Lions, Oxford County, Skowhegan and Springfield fairs are still evaluating whether to mount fairs this year.