I think there’s a piece missing from all of these stories about fair closures, pool closures, event cancellations: It’s health and safety, but so much likely is driven by revenue.

Consider that all of these fairs make money from events at the fairgrounds year-round that haven’t happened. And they also rely on revenue from concerts and midway rides to bolster the other portions of the fair.

And with swimming pools, the impact of the timing of not having been able to hire until now combined with unknowns about revenue at membership and concession stand levels makes it a big gamble, Especially when local governments already are experiencing decreased funding.

events rely on sponsors, vendors and other contracts secured months in advance. closures of the last 2 to 3 months have made that lack of lead time process unmanageable. Coordinating hiring and volunteers on short notice, and generating revenue, would be nearly impossible.