BACK IN ACTION / Monroe Pop Fest organizer excited for show's return After more than a year apart, pop culture fans in and around Monroe County will be able to BIF!, BAM! and POW! together in person again this fall. Monroe Pop Fest is set to return from a pandemic-forced intermission in 2020 for a first-of-its-kind, two-day show beginning September 17 at the First Merchants Bank Expo Center, located on the Monroe County Fairgrounds. Typically a one-day event, the Pop Fest is being spread over two days and will feature more outdoor activities as a response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, organizer Gary Pillette explained.