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121st annual in limbo

IPE in wait and see situation

Apr 24, 2020 | 2:12 PM

The fate of the Interior Provincial Exhibition in Armstrong this fall is still up in the air.

General manager Yvonne Paulson said organizers haven’t made a decision to proceed or cancel at this point.

“We are being very cautious and will ensure everyone’s health and safety is our number one priority during our decision making in the coming weeks,” said Paulson in an email to IPE members.

Paulson said they are following the physical distancing measures at their office.

“There is usually one person in our office each day to answer the phones and have a face and voice from the IPE to the general public. Our office is closed to the general public but am happy to converse over the phone, email and zoom meetings in the meantime.”

The rest of the IPE team is working remotely from home.

The 121st annual fair is scheduled for September 2 to 6.

“These are very unprecedented times we are in and it’s difficult for everyone. We are hopeful that if everyone pays attention to the messaging of self distancing and staying home as much as possible we will be able to get through this together,” added Paulson.

Paulson said the fair industry, like many other industries, has been hit extremely hard by COVID-19.

She noted a number of events that have been cancelled including New Brunswick fairs and exhibitions, the Calgary Stampede, and K-Days at Northlands in Edmonton.

“We will continue to ‘forge on’ until we can’t,” said Paulson.

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