Dutchess County Fair Will Go Forward In 2021

RHINEBECK, NY — In a nod to returning to normal, dates were announced Wednesday for the 2021 Dutchess County Fair.

"It's been a while coming, but we are here," said Andy Imperati, president and CEO of the Dutchess County Fairgrounds. "The 175th county fair will be held."

Imperati said the fair will be open from Tuesday, Aug. 24 through Sunday, Aug. 29.

The fair announced in June it would not happen in 2020 because of the new coronavirus pandemic.

Details were few and far between because the county and fair officials are waiting for specific guidance from the state.

Marc Molinaro said the fair, as far as the calendar is concerned, is one of the last in the state to take place. He speculated that capacity at that time will probably be a little less than 100 percent.

Imperati said all previous vendors have been contacted and 90 percent said they would be coming back.

He said restroom cleaning has already been addressed and fair officials are beginning to look at the way the buildings will be set and how food vendors will be serving patrons.