ROCHESTER — The Rochester Country Fair will return this summer after a two-year absence. 

Members of the Select Board approved plans at their Monday, Feb. 7 meeting for the fair to be held Aug. 20 and 21. 

“I’m glad it’s coming back,’’ board chair Bradford Morse said.

Fair organizers are also excited to see the fair back on the calendar. “We love it,’’ said Kelly Sullivan-Morgado, who serves on the board of directors for the fair.  “We were going strong until EEE and Covid hit.’’

The fair was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid. The 2019 fair had a shortened schedule because of an outbreak of Eastern equine encephalitis, also known as EEE. 

Although Covid cases are still being reported, the event takes place outdoors, where spread is minimized, and, she noted, Rochester does not have a vaccine or mask mandate. 

People from throughout the region visit the fair, Sullivan-Morgado said, because “it’s very laid-back.’’ No loud music is played and the fair does not have rides.

“It’s really a country fair,’’ she said. “We have hay bales and tractors and really fun things like that.’’

Fair organizers hope to return “a lot of old-timey favorites,’’ she said.

This year’s event will be compressed into two days instead of the traditional four. But organizers still hope to return popular attractions, including tractor and pulls, pie-eating contests, craft vendors, children’s play areas and, of course, food.

Hours will be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20 and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21.

Because the fair has not been held in a few years, the fairgrounds at 65 Pine St. need maintenance, Sullivan-Morgado said, including repairs to fencing that has been damaged by deer and a worn track. Fair representatives will do this work before the event begins, she said.

The festival is organized and run totally by volunteers, she said, and more volunteers are needed. Anyone interested in learning about ways to help can email rochestercountryfair@comcast.net.

Admission, which is $5 per person, will be waived for volunteers who put in a certain amount of time. 

Fair organizers will likely be seeking a liquor license for the event, although that plan is not finalized, she said. They work in conjunction with The Acushnet Lions Club on alcohol sales, she said.

Select board member Greenwood Hartley III wanted to make sure that neighbors will be notified of fair plans and specifics. That needs to be done by June 20, which is 60 days before the start of the fair, he said.