Frederick Fair moving forward, but July 4th celebration will be different this year
May 7—Two major Frederick events that were canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic are planning to restart in 2021 — one will seek a return to normal while the other will go on with a lot less fanfare.
The Great Frederick Fair plans to hold its full fair this season. Celebrate Frederick is endeavoring to deliver Fourth of July fireworks — in a scaled-back format — at the Frederick Fairgrounds instead of Baker Park.
"We are planning to have our fair. We will be releasing more details as we get closer," General Manager Karen Nicklas said. "The fairgrounds is very excited to see gatherings and people and live entertainment."
Last year, they offered a youth livestock show instead of the usual jam-packed slate of activities. The 2021 fair is scheduled for Sept. 17 to 25, with musical talent to include Toby Mac, Ryan Stevenson, Jon Pardi and Drew Parker.
Before the fair restarts in September, however, the fairgrounds will likely be the location of an amended Independence Day celebration.
Celebrate Frederick, which has organized the Frederick's 4th celebration for more than 30 years, canceled all of its Fourth of July festivities last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Executive Director Jennifer Martin said they usually offer children's activities, food vendors, live music and more throughout the day leading up to the booming grand finale. They can see between 60,000 and 70,000 guests at the event, she said.
This year, Celebrate Frederick hopes to offer fireworks and live music at the fairgrounds in a drive-in format, according to Martin.
Although vaccines are rolling out and COVID-19 restrictions are loosening, Celebrate Frederick will not host activities in Baker Park this Fourth of July.
"We did have to make this decision several months ago," Martin said Thursday. "These events take months and months to plan."
Though she said Celebrate Frederick's Board of Directors made the decision earlier this year, a relatively recent post on the organization's website announcing the news has just begun to catch the eye of the community.
It reads in part: "In light of CDC guidance urging against large gatherings where physical distancing cannot be maintained, the traditional Frederick's 4th activities in Baker Park will not take place in 2021. Celebrate Frederick is actively planning a fireworks display at an alternate location where the community can view the show from the safety of their vehicles."
Martin said the idea is that people will be able to view the patriotic display from their cars at the fairgrounds rather than cluster together at Baker Park.
"There was no way for us to diminish capacity or enforce social distancing or mask wearing" in the park, Martin said.
Not wanting to make their decision in a bubble, Martin said they consulted with city officials and the health department.
"While we understand the community may be disappointed ... we are really committed to bringing a fireworks show to the community," Martin said.
The final details need to be hammered out, but the goal is to allow vehicles to use satellite parking at the fairgrounds so visitors can get a socially-distanced view of the show.
As for the live music, Martin said the plan is to sell tickets for the concert and have the fireworks be a free event anyone could come see, regardless of whether they're attending the drive-in concert. The fairgrounds has been hosting drive-in movies during the pandemic.
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