COVID-19 claims another victim: The 2021 Exchange Club Fair
Sep. 26—ALBANY — A community hungry for a little good news got another heaping dose of bad news when officials with the Exchange Club of Albany and the Exchange Club Fair of Southwest Georgia announced that, due to concerns about COVID-19, the annual Exchange Club Fair has been canceled for 2021.
"We are very concerned for our community and feel it is in the best interest of our patrons, vendors, security personal, Exchange Club Members and everyone else involved in assisting with the fair to protect their health," Exchange Club and fair officials said in a news release announcing the cancelation. "We will continue to work to have additional projects to raise money that we donate to our local nonprofits, but only if we can make every effort to protect everyone.
"We appreciate the support we have had from Albany, Dougherty County and the surrounding counties for many years and hope to come back bigger and better next year."
The fair annually draws thousands of visitors during its one-week run at the Exchange Club Fairgrounds, generating a large portion of the funding needed to keep the club's facilities functional and operational. The fair also is an economic driver for Albany and Dougherty County, bringing visitors from all over southwest Georgia to the community.
"Our main concern was protecting the health of our community and doing our part to prevent spreading COVID-19," Exchange Club Media Coordinator Gary Knight said.
