Brown County will not reunite at the fairgrounds this summer.

The Brown County 4-H Fair will be only virtual, the leadership boards announced Friday morning.

“This decision was not taken lightly,” a letter from the 4-H council, fair board, livestock auction committee and 4-H office read.

“Ultimately, both the 4-H Council and 4-H Fair Board felt that with our current resources, we would be unable to comply with the safety requirements set forth by Purdue Extension to ensure the safety of all those in attendance.”

Grandstand events, the midway/carnival, baby and toddler pageants, commercial vendors, Open Class exhibits and the livestock auction will not happen this year.

Brown County 4-H Youth Development Educator Britt Copeland said that the queen pageant might take place virtually, but plans for that event weren’t certain yet.

4-H program members will be able to exhibit their projects in a virtual format.

“It is our hope that we can make the 2020 Virtual Brown County 4-H Fair a meaningful celebration of our county youth’s resilience and achievement,” the boards wrote.

“This has been a challenging year for all of us in many disproportional ways. It is now our time to demonstrate what being a 4-H member means to our community by pledging our head, heart, hands and health to better living for ourselves, our community, our country and our world.”

4-H families and volunteers were to receive additional information next week about entry instructions.

A positive about this fair format is that the “virtual showcase” can show off fair projects to family members and friends who may not have been able to attend the fair in person, the boards wrote.

“Both leadership groups and our 4-H volunteer leaders put countless hours of work into preparing for the fair each year,” the letter said. “We also recognize the vast amount of financial and emotional resources 4-H members have invested in their projects which makes this decision incredibly heartbreaking for everyone involved.”

Brown County is not the only county to cancel or alter its fair plans.

Monroe and Bartholomew counties both announced last week that they were canceling their in-person fairs and moving to a virtual format.