It's official: the annual Rochester Fair will no longer run this September after 141 years of operation.
The president of the Rochester Fair Association, Norm Vetter, says despite efforts by staff to work without pay - it would be "unwise" to run the ten-day fair this year given its financial situation.
Currently the fair still owes more than $60,000 in operation expenses from last year's fair. And given declining attendance and increasing costs, Vetter expects that debt would only go up.
All other events already scheduled at the Rochester Fairgrounds; however, will continue as scheduled.
The Rochester Fair Association isn't giving up - it says it's exploring ways to run the fair again in the future.