March 31, 2020
The 2020 Devon Horse Show and Country Fair has been canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak across the region, event organizers announced on Monday. The 124th edition of the event was scheduled to be held May 21-31 in the Main Line town.
Event organizers said that postponement was an option on the table, but ultimately decided to cancel “after significant evaluation of the far-reaching operational and financial implications.”
“In fairness to the competitors, vendors, volunteers and all others involved, the DHSCF believes that this decision is the best for everyone under the circumstances,” event organizers said in a statement. “The health and well-being of the entire DHSCF community is of utmost importance at this time.”
This is the first time that the event has been canceled since it was put on hold for three straight years due to World War II, event organizers said. The event began in 1896 and is both the oldest and largest outdoor multi-breed horse show in the U.S., but the country fair did not come around until 1919.
Event organizers said that they will be contacting stakeholders with information about cancellation processes in the coming weeks.
The grounds of the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair have been closed due to Pennsylvania’s mandate for all non-essential business to shut down to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 across the state.
The event will be celebrating its 125th anniversary next year in 2021.
Pennsylvania now has 4,087 positive cases of coronavirus, the ninth-most of any state in the country, and 48 deaths as a result of COVID-19 as of Monday afternoon. Of those cases, 2,242 have popped up in Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia has 1,007 confirmed cases and seven deaths, Montgomery County has 540 cases and five deaths, Delaware County has 303 cases and four deaths, Bucks County has 246 cases and three deaths, and Chester County has 146 cases and one death.
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