There has been some contentious grumbling in recent weeks about the state of the state’s Farm Show Complex. Lawmakers are anxious to reopen the Complex for shows, exhibits and fairs, but it remains closed, in part because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Groups that host events at the Complex are anxious to get on with things and put this whole pandemic in the rear-view mirror.
The Complex is housing the state’s vast supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)—the gear that protects health care workers and front-line workers as they fulfill their critical jobs in hospitals, fire departments, police departments, grocery stores, etc. Pennsylvania purchased some of the equipment and received more equipment from the Federal government. In aggregate, there is a lot of stuff—critical inventory to be sure, and a reflection of Governor Tom Wolf’s intent to ensure that Pennsylvania is not caught short in the event of future health crises.
Pennsylvania’s General Services Secretary Curt Topper told state legislators that there’s so much PPE stockpiled in the Complex that “it will take months of 17 or 18 truckloads a day to move all of the material in the stockpile to another facility.” He said that the goal is to move the stockpile of PPE by this fall.
As if a pandemic were not bad enough, with businesses and schools shuttered, the loss of revenue from the events that have been canceled since March 2020 has provided legislators with one more bone of contention on which to gnaw. But the situation is not as simple as just flinging the doors open and welcoming the farm shows and horse shows and 4H events back to this sprawling, million-square-foot complex.
The Persistence of the Pandemic
Lawmakers have wondered why all this PPE is in the Farm Show Complex in the first place? And in the second place, when is it going to move out? Good questions. The Complex has been designated as a distribution center in the state’s emergency plans. That is not new. Topper and others in the Department of Agriculture recognize the need to find a secure warehouse for the PPE. And Topper has said that he wants to move the PPE but needs the legislature to approve the cost of renting a facility and moving the PPE there.
Beyond that, though, there are the unknown variables related to COVID-19. As more people get vaccinated, events like horse shows are less likely to be super-spreader events. But the target doesn’t stand still, and ultimately the government’s responsibility is to ensure the safety of its citizens by analyzing risks and deciding sensible paths forward.
It’s important to keep the strands of this story separate, because when they’re tangled, they distort the picture and create misunderstanding. “The storage of PPE is in no way related to the cancellation of events,” Shannon Powers explains. “It never was. Throughout the pandemic, events at the Farm Show Complex & Expo Center have been placed on hold for health and safety reasons.” Powers is the Press Secretary at the Department of Agriculture. She says that the Department of General Services has indeed requested a $5 million appropriation to fund the move.
Powers notes that the PPE is a critical strategic asset for the state, and its security is paramount. The Complex is centrally located, has 24-hour security and ensures that the Federal supplies are appropriately and adequately protected. While there have been pictures showing the storage of some of the PPE, these have not been authorized by the government. “Photographs published in various media outlets were not provided or authorized by the PA Department of Agriculture.”
The Shows Will Go On
“The Department of Agriculture’s Farm Show management team is working with organizers of previously scheduled events to confirm dates and specific locations in the complex,” Powers says. “Those that are firmly scheduled include the US Jr. National Basketball Tournament the last weekend of June and PA Flavor on August 21. Both will take place in the GIANT Expo Hall. The complex is hosting outdoor events weekly throughout the spring, summer and fall, including the PA Open Air Farm Market every Tuesday and Friday.”
Susie Shirk, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania National Horse Show (PNHS) Foundation, says her organization is planning for the 75th Anniversary show to go on as scheduled in October. “We’ve been assured that the Farm Show Complex is going to be open,” she says. “Anything could change at any moment.” Asked about the mountains of PPE stored at the Complex, Shirk says they’re not worried. “We only use certain halls and certain areas of that facility,” she explains. “I’ve been working directly with Sharon (Myers, Executive Director of the Farm Show Complex) and hearing information coming from the Department of Agriculture.”
The PNHS, she says, is required to abide by the regulations of the state as well as the United States Equestrian Foundation (USEF). “We’ve been watching what the Governor is allowing in the state. We have to follow the regulations and protocols of the state and USEF. They’ve relaxed some of their protocols.” All this adds weight to the level of confidence she has about this year’s show.
Terry Helder, Founder and Chairman of East Coast Riding Association, and Chairman of the Ranch Horse Show at Keystone International Livestock Expo (KILE), is optimistic and looking forward to a successful show season. “I’ve been on several conference calls,” he says. There were members from the All American Dairy Show Committee, people from KILE and people from the Department of Agriculture. “They assured us they’re going to work with us. There will be Agriculture shows in the fall,” he says. “I think people are just ready to put last year behind us and go forward.”
He says that the Ranch Horse Show in 2019—pre-pandemic—was the biggest they ever had for the Association. Earlier this season the group hosted a Ranch Show in Stevens, PA. “We had 331 entries,” he says. “It was a really good way to start off the year.”
“We are working to schedule shows as space becomes available and capacity allows,” Powers says. As the pandemic restrictions are lifted, the road back to normal is getting a lot smoother.
Shirk is on board the optimism train, too. “We don’t have a back-up plan. We don’t want to think about that now,” she says. “We’re pretty positive and confident things will turn out.” Last year was especially chaotic and difficult. “We knew we had to have a plan b, c, d, e and so on.” This year, the prevailing attitude is optimism. “We’re all at the point we want to get back to some kind of normalcy. Moving forward and staying positive is how we will make that happen.”