HANCOCK — The Houghton County Fair is canceled for 2020, the county fair board voted Thursday night. 

The Junior Market Livestock Show and Sale will still take place, the board said in a release.. Details will be announced later. Contracted entertainment will be rolled over to the 2021 fair. 

The fair’s ability to provide entertainment would have been limited by the state’s restrictions on outdoor gatherings, which would have capped crowd sizes at 500 at most. The fair typically averages 25,000 people over four days. 

Additionally, carnival and midway operator Skerbeck Entertainment Group was notified by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs that amusement devices besides ziplines cannot operate. 

“We understand that this is not the outcome that we all wanted, but our goal is now to provide the best experience for the youth that have invested in livestock projects, some since last fall, and be recognized for the time and effort put into their projects,” the board said in the statement. “Please be patient with us as we are all trying to make the very best out of a difficult situation.”

The 2021 fair is scheduled for Aug. 26-29.