Dogs may not be susceptible to the novel coronavirus, but their people certainly are, and it’s for that reason that the Clackamas Kennel Club on Wednesday announced their decision to cancel the 2020 shows planned for June at the Clackamas County Fairgrounds.
Just a few hours after the club announced its decision on their website and Facebook page, organizers of the Spring Garden Fair shared the news that they would also be canceling this year’s show at the fairgrounds because of the COVID pandemic.
The 36th Annual Spring Garden Fair already been pushed back from its traditional setting the weekend before Mother’s Day to the final weekend in May.
Their decision to cancel was based on the governor’s current stay-home orders, which they feel are likely to be extended, and the size of the event, which typically draws an estimated 8,000.
“We will be back again next year, bigger and better than before,” Master Gardener Sharon Andrews said.
For information about how to still get plants and other supplies from vendors who normally attend the fair, connect with the Spring Garden Fair on its Facebook page.
The Clackamas Kennel Club also admitted that the decision did not come easily, but said, quote, “Our show is just two months away and the reality of uncertainties that face all of us as we weather the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be ignored.”
The show had been held continuously at the fairgrounds since the club sponsored its first American Kennel Club-sanctioned all-breed show and obedience trial in September 1988.
But it has grown significantly over the past 30 years and is now one of the largest all-breed dog shows in the country for the month of June, drawing thousands of professional breeders and amateur dog lovers alike to the Clackamas County Fairgrounds.
The board had initially planned to wait another month to make the call, but ultimately pulled the plug after club members expressed concerns.
“Ultimately the decision came down to the health and safety of our working membership (many of whom fall into higher risk categories), our judges, our vendors, our volunteers and our exhibitors,” the club said.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused a storm of uncertainty around the summer events calendar for Canby, particularly at the fairgrounds. The Oregon Bigfoot Festival, a large event new to the area that had been planned for late July, has already canceled.
Other events such as the Oregon Renaissance Fair and Harefest, are up in the air.
