LORAIN, Ohio — After much debate over whether to sell the Confederate Flag at the Lorain County Fair this year, there will not be Civil War memorabilia sold at the fair, not because the fair is banning the sale of Confederate flags, but because one of the largest vendors canceled his booth due to the coronavirus.
Kim Meyers, president of the Lorain County Fair Board, confirmed to News 5 that Russell Bissett, a Vietnam War veteran and considered one of the largest vendors of Civil War memorabilia, will not be coming to the 2020 Lorain County Fair.
She said he was the last vendor at the fair who sold Civil War items, including flags. Meyers said Bissett is from West Virginia, and he can't make the trip to Northeast Ohio because a lot of fairs he typically would go to are canceled because of the pandemic.
The fair board has been clear about its stance on selling the Confederate Flag, saying it does not want to censor or infringe upon a vendor's First Amendment rights.
RELATED: Sponsors drop out of Lorain Co. Fair, citing concerns of COVID-19, sale of Confederate Flag
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
