COVID concerns continue to clear Humboldt’s social calendar. The North Country Fair, the vibrant two-day event that’s drawn all species to the Arcata Plaza since the 1970s, has announced that there will be no Samba for the second straight year.

Read the release from The Same Old People, the group that organizes the event, below:

The Same Old People are sad to announce that the 2021 North Country Fair, scheduled for the third weekend of September, has been cancelled. We regret that our community of volunteers, attendees, artists, musicians, crafters, and other vendors has to be without the Fair for a second year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We, as are many of you, are still processing this loss.

The Fair’s theme was to have been, “Together Again,” but unfortunately we cannot risk this togetherness. This was not what we had hoped for. Earlier in the year when things were looking up, we decided to plan the 2021 Fair as usual, in hopes that the pandemic might be over, or at least safe enough to proceed, yet we also were prepared to cancel if necessary.

The Fair is large and open, and there’s no way we could have enough volunteers and security to enforce negative testing results, masking, or checking for vaccinations. And there are too many folks out there who have ignored the needs of the whole.

Our Fair Board of Directors, The Same Old People, and staff encourage everyone out there to get vaccinated, to isolate as much as possible, and to mask-up when around others. This is the only way we can beat Covid-19 and its variants, so that our community and friends will once again be safe to enjoy the Fair and other freedoms lost.

We sincerely hope that all of you stay safe and that our community heals as quickly as possible; and that we will be able to present to you the 2022 North Country Fair.

All vendor fees already submitted will be returned to the vendors.