This week will be the first time in nearly 160 years that there won’t be a Macon County Fair.
Instead the Macon County Fairgrounds Festival will open Tuesday night. The event will focus on music, racing and a carnival instead of classic agricultural events.
That’s because of outstanding debts and unpaid premiums from last year’s fair. The Decatur newspaper reports that festival organizers hope to earn a profit this year and make the organization solvent.
Macon County Fair Board Treasurer Teresa Wilson says organizers “still want to have a county fair that is more agricultural focused.” But she says the county needs “to get through this year first.”