MIDLAND COUNTY, Texas — County and state fairs across the country are having to re-invent and re-imagine their mass gathering summer plans this year due to the pandemic.
Midland County is no exception.
"I tried everything I could. I kept thinking surely we're not going to have to change our plans. Surely, this is all going to blow over. I think everybody was hoping for this," Kasey Kelly, Midland Co. Fair executive director said.
But it didn't blow over in the West Texas wind.
Now, Kasey is looking at what's possible.
Midland County doesn't own their own fairgrounds, so the infrastructure for a drive-thru fair isn't possible.
The solution they came up with is AR... also known as augmented reality.
"You're going to see a lot of the same rustic type things, you're going to see some farm animals, you're going to see lassos and fun things that you can do," Kelly said.
Having trouble visualizing it?
You'll just have to see it for yourself through your screen on August 29, 2020.
"This is the first augmented reality county fair in the world, so we're really excited about it," Kelly said.
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There's no footage of this experience quite yet, as it launches when the app launches.
To be a part of this year's county fair experience called Fun at the Fair, you have to text the word 'FAIR' to 866-821-3247 and ONLY on August 29, 2020 you will get a message back about the portal to your augmented reality experience.
This is the only way to access the fair this year, so be sure to watch their social media pages and website for more information.
Prizes this year could include a pizza from Pi Social.