CALF_News_April_May_2021

22 CALF News • April | May 2021 • www.calfnews.net By Patti Wilson Contributing Editor O ur country was greatly relieved when 2020 ended. “That awful year,” we said. “I am so glad it’s over!” Guess what? 2020 ended, and it’s not over. As per every other year since time began, our lives and problems spill over onto the next calendar year. A Situation We Never Anticipated Last year saw a spate of agricultural events, shows and fairs either disappear or undergo significant adjustments due to COVID-19. Masks made their insidi- ous appearance in show rings. Judges and staff tried to comply with mandates, and exhibitors struggled to breathe. Our current pandemic will continue to pester and annoy yet again, and 2021 holds even greater challenges. A New, Serious Issue A combination of the pandemic and homelessness has seeped into rural America’s life in a way none of us could ever have imagined. All of us in the Plains states were mildly aware of the homeless problem, mostly located in California.We watched the news and were glad to be so far removed from the disgusting mess. This is no longer the case. California’s problems are moving to our back door as other states are following their bad example. City governments, overrun with homeless encampments and the attached COVID issues, have found a great place to relocate their unfortunate – county and state fairgrounds. Fairgrounds Use Historically, fairgrounds nationwide have been employed for emergency facili- ties. Forest fires, floods and earthquakes displace people and animals alike. Local and state fairgrounds are dispersed conveniently over our entire country and make adequate, clean and safe places for temporary relocation and recovery after natural disasters. When we think of fairgrounds, we think of fairs. However, these places are used heavily year-round. Community functions such as wedding receptions, reunions, symposiums and shows of every kind (flowers, quilts, dogs, cars) keep the grounds occupied, often every weekend. Many events are booked more than a year in advance. These events pay bills, provide employment and maintain a healthy venue for the community. Many fairgrounds in California have been taken over by several legal methods. Since they operate financially indepen- dent of taxes, their abrupt cessation of income means a permanent end of their fairs and events. Mayors and city councils in urban areas, inundated with thousands of homeless, are desperate to rid their streets of tents and garbage. Fairgrounds in rural communities, located far outside these urban landscapes, are appalled at the prospects of homeless and their social ills invading their farming communities. Farmers and ranchers are sitting ducks. Large urban areas have a lot of political power. Rural people typically don’t com- plain, and most fairgrounds seem havens for this situation. What do they have? Large, well-ventilated buildings, adequate restroom facilities, showers, kitchens and access to food. Some buildings are used to isolate COVID patients, some are secure facilities housing abused women. Even smaller fairgrounds are provided FEMA trailers by the federal government to park on site. Los Angeles has bused thousands of people to the California State Fair- grounds (Cal Expo) in Sacramento. San Francisco homeless have been bused to the Stockton fairgrounds, far from the Bay area. Local residents are mortified. There is an estimated 4,000-plus home- less population in Oakland looking for a place to land; if you are curious, Google “Oakland, Calif., homeless.” According to World Population Review, California ranks first in 2021 for homeless numbers. More than one-fifth of the country’s displaced find themselves in the Golden State because of liberal drug laws, inac- Encroachment on Rural America Will Your Fairgrounds Be Inhabited by the Urban Homeless? LEFT: The Fairgrounds Nashville in preparation for an influx of homeless, March 26, 2020. Photo from NewsChannel 5.com . ABOVE: Fairgrounds facilities are typically spacious, well ventilated, and have adequate restroom and shower facilities. Photo taken at the “old” Nebraska State Fair Park, Lincoln. Photo by Colby Sledge