The 42nd Annual Valle Country Fair, originally scheduled for Saturday, October 17 in Valle Crucis, NC, will proceed as a virtual fundraising event in 2020.
“COVID-19 cases are on the rise in North Carolina,” stated Valle Fair Co-chair Bob Gates. “The safety of the parishioners, volunteers, exhibitors, vendors, and community are our most important consideration as we make decisions for the 2020 Fair.”
Since it was founded in 1978 by Holy Cross Episcopal Church to raise funds for community outreach, the Valle County Fair has collected over $1 million dollars to help High Country families in need. While Fair sponsors wrestled with the uncertainties of hosting a gathering of 10,000 people in a post-COVID world, they were determined not to suspend the good works financed by the Valle Country Fair. Instead they set about finding ways to use the event’s popular concessions for fundraising without the need for face-to-face contact.
“What a virtual Valle Country Fair will look like is still taking shape,” said Gates. “We are setting up an online marketplace so our fans can shop for top-quality arts and crafts from the amazing exhibitors selected by our jury, just as they would if they were attending the Fair in person. We also expect to host a drive through barbecue dinner “to go”. The great minds behind other church booths are working out plans to incorporate their concessions into the virtual Valle Country Fair. Updates will be posted on ValleCountryFair.org and on our Facebook and Instagram pages as details emerge.”
Each virtual shopping cart will generate funds for the 2020 charities in the same manner that they have for the past 41 years. Concessions that are operated by the church membership, such as the barbeque dinner, give 100 percent of their proceeds to the Fair charities. Similarly, artists, craftspeople and other exhibitors are asked to “tithe” ten percent of their revenues to the cause.
The virtual Valle Country Fair will feature an opportunity for the public to donate to the compassionate ministry of the Holy Cross Mission and Outreach committee. Last year’s Fair channeled $60,000 to the service of people in need, disbursing a portion via grants to area non-profits and retaining the remainder to assist individuals and families in crisis. To further incentivize contributions in 2020, gifts to the virtual collection plate are being matched by a pool of long-time Fair supporters.
The virtual events of the 2020 Valle Country Fair will be held October 12 – 17, with the schedule and details going up online at www.ValleCountryFair.org as they become available. Articles and photos highlighting our exhibitors and vendors will be posted on our Facebook and Instagram pages throughout August and September leading up to our week of Fair activities.
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