ASHLAND — The Ashland County Fair Board took no action Monday evening after reviewing a petition that calls for a ban on selling or displaying the Confederate flag at the Ashland County Fair.
“The fair board decided, we’re not about politics. We’re here to put on a fair,” fair board manager Steve Englet said.
He presented the board with a slew of emails from the community and a petition, which has now amassed 959 signatures since early July.
“Inform the vendors for this year and beyond that they cannot display or sell this type of merchandise,” the petition said. “Send a message that all are welcome to the Ashland County Fair. We are a supportive and inclusive community.”
Englet recommended the board take no action. In his 10 years as fair board manager, he hasn’t seen vendors selling or displaying the flag. His predecessor of 15 years hadn’t seen the flag either, he continued.
Existing language in vendor contracts allows Englet the right to ask them to remove anything. If he sees a Confederate flag this September, Englet said he’d ask it be removed “without making a spectacle out of it.” He said he’d follow the same procedure he has in previous years when noticing vendors had obscene merchandise on display.
The Ashland County Fair is set to run from Sept. 20 to 26.
