Pancake breakfast on for the fair, chickens a question

The Boulder County Fair pancake breakfast is back after being sidelined for two years because of COVID-19 restrictions. The poultry showmanship competition is also still on for 2022, even as the worldwide avian flu is shadowing the event.

The Rotary Pancake Breakfast is slated for Aug. 6 following the Fair Parade in downtown Longmont. The Boulder County Fair is scheduled for Aug. 11-14 at the fairgrounds.

Most events surrounding the Boulder County Fair were either shelved or shortened due to the pandemic, including the breakfast. 

“We last had a breakfast in 2019, so it has been two long years,” Dietra Porter, Treasury Management Officer with Flatirons Bank said via email. Porter is also past president of Longmont Twin Peaks Rotary.

 “We typically have about 20 Rotarian volunteers and 500-600 attendees after the parade down Main Street,” Porter said.

The return of the breakfast - along with other local fundraisers this summer- will help the Twin Peaks Rotary contribute heavily to programs in the community, Porter said.

The other fundraisers include the Lawn Party at the Peaks with the Wash Park Funk Band on July 9 and the Dave Schey Memorial golf tournament on July 18, she said.

“The funds we raise at these events go to providing meals through the OUR Center…local scholarships, and leadership camps for middle and high schoolers, '' Porter said.

Meanwhile, the Boulder County Fair Board is still weighing whether to ban poultry from the fair, Melanie Bohren, fair board director, said via email.

Earlier this month, the Colorado State Fair Board of Authority, decided to ban poultry shows at the 150th Colorado State Fair in Pueblo  because of the worldwide avian flu. 

“For the safety of both humans and animals participating at the Colorado State Fair, (we have) voted to follow the guidance of the Colorado State Veterinarian and not hold any poultry events where comminingly of birds could occur,” said Rene Brown, chair of the Colorado State Fair Board of Authority, as quoted in the Pueblo Chieftain.

Bohren said the Boulder County Fair Board has not made a decision yet on banning poultry from the local fair. The poultry showmanship competition is scheduled for Aug. 9.

“The emergency order suspending all poultry shows is in effect until June 30, so we are waiting to see if it is renewed or lifted before making any decisions,” she said.