North Carolina Mountain State Fair canceled due to COVID-19

FLETCHER, NC (AP) — North Carolina’s agriculture commissioner has announced that the 2020 Mountain State Fair has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The fair was scheduled to take place from Sept. 11-20 at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in Fletcher.

Commissioner Steve Troxler says social distancing would be difficult to enforce. News outlets report the event drew more than 171,000 total visitors in 2019.

Last year, a hot tub display in the agricultural center during the fair was linked to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease.

The state’s department of health and human resources says four people died and more than 130 others were infected.