‘Can’t Wait to See You!’ theme for this year’s event fitting due to the times 

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — On Jul. 21, the California Mid State Fair kicks off its 75th Anniversary!

It has been nearly two years since Paso Robles put their boots on for “The Biggest Little Fair Anywhere” due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Back in February, the CMSF Board of Directors said they were “cautiously optimistic” on whether or not the fair would happen in 2021.

But on May 12, the CMSF announced they would be back in July 2021 and said they are getting ready to make up for lost time as they will be celebrating their 75th Anniversary a year later due to COVID-19. 

CMSF spokesman Tom Keffury expressed the difficulty of planning the fair with so many changing regulations put forth by the State of California.

“One week, you put together a certain type of plan, and you get your head around it thinking okay this is what the fair might look like, and then something would change,” Keffury explained.

In May, California seemed to change its plan and begin reopening rapidly. That was when the CMSF board decided to go through with their plan to make the fair happen.

Interim CEO Colleen Bojorquez said, “It’s been a rollercoaster ride of emotion. We have always wanted to do, at least, the livestock portion, so we were trying to figure out how we were going to support our 4-H and FFA and how they can show in person.”

Since then, the CMSF board has had about six weeks to put together their finalized plan.

“We had a lot of different ideas, but they were all based on what we thought might happen—I don’t think anybody thought California would open up as quickly as California had,” Bojorquez shared. 

Of course, planning a fair that usually takes six months and doing it in only six weeks has its challenges.

“With people not expecting California to be open, a lot of entertainers and a lot of performers already made plans for the summer to be in other parts of the country,” Keffury said. 

According to Keffury, the CMSF accounts for nearly 90 percent of the event centers profits, so canceling the fair was detrimental for the center and Paso Robles local economy.

“We need to have the fair. We need to have our events back, and we are ready to welcome them with open arms,” Bojorquez explained.

The CMSF will be following State and County guidelines for COVID-19 regulations.

“We’re going to operate, but we’re going to operate safely. That is very important to us,” said Keffury.

Bojorquez and Keffury explained fairgoers will see all the events they are used to seeing, just maybe at a smaller capacity.

Because of California’s unexpected and rapid reopening, some vendors and entertainers made plans in other states during the CMSF’s usual time slot.

But that hasn’t stopped the fair board from putting on the best fair they can.

“It will be a lot of fun to see a lot of people come out and support and support our fair, which is great because we feel like we have this little niche in our community that only our community can appreciate,” Bojorquez said.

Keffury says, “We can’t wait to see you. We’re going to put on the best fair we can—We’re excited to bring the community together.”

So San Luis Obispo County, dust off your boots and get ready for some good ole fashion fun that is long overdue! 

We can’t wait to see you!

For more information and show, times visit midstatefair.com.