FREDERICKTOWN – The annual Fredericktown Tomato Show is the latest local festival to fall prey to COVID-19. The Tomato Show board shared the following announcement on its website:

The 44th Fredericktown Tomato Show, scheduled for Sept. 9 to 12 is officially canceled. 

Even though the board continued to make plans for the last five months on ways to conduct the annual event safely, Gov. DeWine’s “no list” includes festivals, parades, and 5K races. The Tomato Show is considered to be a festival, not a fair.

In a meeting with Julie Miller and Nate Overholt at Knox Public Health, Tomato Show board members presented four pages of adjustments and changes that they were prepared to make. Regardless, the governor’s list remains firm.

Officially, the next Fredericktown Tomato Show will hopefully take place Sept. 8 to 11, 2021.

“Thank you for continued support and patience,” the notice stated.