IPE 2020 cancelled due to pandemic

For only the second time in more than 120 years, the Interior Provincial Exhibition and Stampede will not take place.

According to a media release, the 2020 version of the Interior Provincial Exhibition, which was due to take place in September, has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"This decision has been made by the board of directors and staff of the IPE with a great deal of consultation, discussion, and regret," the media release says.

The release says organizers have consulted with B.C. Fairs, Canadian Associations of Agricultural Fairs and Exhibitions, West Coast Amusements, Canadian Professional Rodeo Association, before making the decision.

"Considering present circumstances, this decision was unavoidable," says the release.

The Armstrong-based fair was first held in 1899, and has only been cancelled once before, in 1905.

"The IPE survived the Great Depression and World Wars I and II and still had the fair during those very difficult times," says the release. "The IPE is resilient and will forge on. Our Roots Run Deep."

Organizers say the work continues planning for next year's fair with new public health standards, news programs and new ideas.

The Armstrong fair is scheduled to take place Sept. 1 to Sept. 5, 2021.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Ben Bulmer or call (250) 309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.