Could the Phase II Extension Cancel the State Fair?

Chris Giordano from the State Fair of Louisiana talks about plans to have an abbreviated fair in October, the planning behind the altered dates and how the Governor's extension of Phase II restrictions could cause a complete cancellation of the event.

"We've had an opening plan that has been submitted to the Louisiana State Fire Marshall's Office for quite some time now. We've been in contact with Chief Butch Browning on a pretty regular basis since then," says Giordano, explaining that, despite all their efforts, Coronavirus orders from Governor John Bel Edwards made that an impossibility. "I proposed to the Executive Committee...to cut the first week. The (latest) revision has us opening one week later, on Thursday, October 29. then running eleven straight days through Sunday, November 8. By shaving the first week off, that buys us another week of, hopefully COVID numbers to get better and it also gives us another week for planning."

Giordano then explains how he and the rest of State Fair management understand that, with modified dates and state imposed restrictions, they'll be looking a major revenue loss.

"What we've taken out of the fair...is rock concerts, the senior expo that we normally do at Hirsch Coliseum and we've decreased the number of livestock shows."

Giordano then addresses the Governor's extension, til further notice, of Phase II restrictions across the state. "We need to be moving forward by the second week of September," he says, "And it does not look like we're going to have a green light by mid-September. I don't think there's a possibility (of having) the Fair in Phase II and now that we know we'll have Phase II indefinitely, I don't think we'll have any chance to move forward."