A fair in Mercer County that has been running for over 50 years has been canceled this year.

The fair board voted unanimously on April 14 via a telephone meeting to cancel the 2020 Mercer County Grange Fair. 

"With 1.6 million Pennsylvanians collecting unemployment, and with so many in Mercer County out of work at this time who are trying to put food on their tables, we cannot ask them to support the Mercer County Grange Fair," said board member Jim Richardson. "Social distancing is virtually impossible in the grandstands when the goal is to fill them."

Richardson says the stay-at-home order in Pennsylvania keeps getting pushed back and felt this would be the best option to prevent the spread of the virus. 

"It is my opinion that all fairs in Pennsylvania should be canceled. The money that we would get from the state in reimbursements for the 2020 fair could help residents in our areas such as food banks," Richardson said.