MOSES LAKE — The Northwest Ag Demo Derby, a longtime event at the Grant County Fair, has been canceled for 2020. The Moses Lake Roundup Committee announced the cancellation Wednesday.

Rodney Rosin, who was in charge of the derby for 2020, said Wednesday that the committee tried to find a way to put on the derby.

“The crowd would not be enough to support the cause,” Rosin said. “There are too many regulations.”

The demolition derby is sponsored by Moses Lake Roundup Association, and it’s usually held on Wednesday night during Grant County Fair week, the night before the first rodeo performance. But both the fair and the rodeo have been canceled for 2020, a result of efforts and mandates intended to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.

Washington officials ordered most businesses closed and most movement restricted in March, and implemented a phased reopening plan in May. Grant County is in Phase 2, and during Phase 2 events are restricted to crowds of 50 people.

The demolition derby also would be subject to a number of requirements, such as hand-washing stations, sanitation protocols and permit requirements. With all the regulations and restrictions, it would be impossible to make the derby pay with the crowd that would be allowed, Rosin said.

“There was just no possible way of doing it within the law,” he said.

Drivers had started making inquiries, asking whether the derby was going on as scheduled.

“The people that are building cars, they need to know what’s going on,” Rosin said, and under the circumstances rodeo association officials decided to cancel.

The date of the 2021 derby has been announced. It’s scheduled for Aug. 18, 2021.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].