Quay County Expo postponed due to COVID-19 case

The Quay County 4-H/FFA Expo scheduled to begin in Tucumcari today has been postponed indefinitely after a fair board member tested positive for COVID-19.

Fair board Chairman Justin Knight said during a telephone interview Wednesday about 15 members of the board were possibly exposed during a meeting at the Quay County Fairgrounds on Aug. 3. He declined to identify the afflicted person.

Knight said the fair board member exhibited symptoms of the coronavirus and tested positive for the disease Tuesday afternoon.

He said the fair board would hold a Zoom videoconference meeting Wednesday night to determine what action to take regarding the livestock shows.

Knight said he didn’t have an idea to what dates to which the expo would be rescheduled.

“The information is too fresh to make a decision,” he said.

Jason Lamb, county agricultural extension agent, said he heard about the news of the expo’s postponement at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Lamb said everyone involved with the fair, including the young exhibitors, were informed about the fair’s delay Tuesday night.

The Quay County Fair, set to run from Wednesday through Saturday, was rechristened Quay County 4-H/FFA Expo last month to reflect many of its typical bells and whistles - carnival, vendors, home arts - would be absent this year because of coronavirus restrictions.