ABERDEEN, S.D. (HubCityRadio.com) – There may be some form of entertainment in August in Aberdeen, but it is highly unlikely that it will be this year’s version of the Brown County Fair.

The 23-member Fair Board unanimously recommended to postpone the fair until next year during this morning’s Brown County Commission Meeting. Following a two-hour meeting that featured passionate arguments on both sides of the issue, the commission decided to table action until next week’s meeting.

Commissioners expressed their loyalty and respect to the fair board, but also felt that it was worth exploring other entertainment options to take the place of the fair.

In the end, the commission did not take any action on the recommendation, instead waiting to see if the numbers surrounding the coronavirus pandemic change in the near future.

Tom Paepke, Brown County Fair Board President, said a lot of elements factored into the board’s decision to postpone the fair. He said the board met with Scott Meints, Brown County Emergency Management Director, last week.

Paepke said he was not surprised that the commission decided to wait for at least another week to act on the recommendation.

Derek Ricci, Brown County Fair Manager, said he understands the desire to wait for a bit, but that it probably won’t change much.

Ricci addressed many factors in the board’s decision including finances and the volunteer base.

He said the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band has already said it will not come this year.

Commissioners would like to have some sort of entertainment at the fairgrounds during the month of August. What that would like is hard to say.

Paepke said the difficult part would be deciding what to include.

Ricci said he believes a different event could work, it’s just hard to say what the requirements will look like at that point.