The annual Cloverdale Citrus Fair is being postponed until April, the fair announced Wednesday morning. The Citrus Fair will now be held April 21-24, 2022.
The decision to postpone was made in response to the current county health order that restricts indoor gatherings to 50 people and outdoor gatherings to 100. While the order is set to expire Feb. 11 and the fair had been scheduled for Feb. 18-21, set-up for the fair involves volunteers, staff and businesses working together to prepare the fairgrounds for the event. The decision was unanimously made by the Cloverdale Citrus Fair Board of Directors in a meeting on Jan. 19.
“The health and safety of our community is our primary concern,” said Citrus Fair CEO Allison Keaney in a statement. “Moving the date of the Citrus Fair allows us to support the health of all who prepare the fair by shifting that work until after the current health order is lifted, and providing a date that is safer and more comfortable for all patrons.”
The new April dates were selected based on the availability of those who provide some key pieces of the fair — the carnival, concessions, ticketing, security and more.
Additionally, the dates of the fair’s annual cabaret will be shifted to the new fair dates. According to the fair’sonline ticket website, all but one night of this year’s four-show cabaret is sold out. Keaney said that the fair will be emailing and/or calling ticket holders with information and instructions regarding their cabaret tickets.
Going forward, updates to scheduling, exhibit deadlines and more will be shared on the fair’s website and Facebook page.
This year, the fair is celebrating its 130th anniversary, and festivities will be circus-themed.The fair board announced late last year that it’s launching an ambassador program to take the place of the fair’s citrus pageant. The ambassador programwill be open to all high school juniors and seniors from Cloverdale and Geyserville. Five ambassador program participants will be chosen following an initial application process that considers recommendations, community service, academic performance and written communication. From there, students will participate in a panel interview and presentation. The winner will receive a $5,000 scholarship and the runner up will receive a $2,500 scholarship. According to the board’s December announcement, the need to shift to a new program was partially made because queen pageant applications have been steadily decreasing over the years, “signaling a time to try something different.”
Keaney said that the fair is grateful to have community support and patience while the fair works through rescheduling details “we can produce the best ‘return from COVID event’ possible.”
