WASHINGTON PARISH, La. — Like years past, Tommy Smith and his kids were looking forward to late October.
“For my family, it really is family time for us,” Smith said. “Going through Mile Branch Settlement and get the crackers and the cheese and the tea.”
Like so many families, the Smiths were ready to make lasting memories at the Washington Parish Free Fair in Franklinton, believed to be the largest free fire in the country, attracting visitors from all over.
But this year, the midway, stage and Old Macdonald’s Farm will be quiet
“It was a very tough decision,” said fair association secretary Kaye Ladner.
Ladner says that decision happened Monday night.
“Some of the people just left teary eyed,” Ladner said.
Ladner says because of the pandemic and required planning, there’s no way the fair can happen this year.
“Financially we thought it was going to be a disaster for us, but the health conditions and the safety of our community was the primary reason that we made the decision,” Ladner said.
In its more than 100-year history the Washington Parish Free Fair has only been canceled four other times. Three years were in the 1940s during WWII and then in 1918 during the Spanish Flu pandemic.
With the cancellation, there’s an economic blow to the town of Franklinton and Washington Parish.
“It’s going to have a tremendous effect on the community,” Ladner said.
From grocery stores and gas stations, to restaurants and clothing stores, the ripple effect goes beyond the fairgrounds.
“Almost every aspect of this town has a vein, if not a major artery connected to the fair that goes on here,” Smith said.
A fair that for the folks who live here, is more than just tradition, but a way of life.