By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
The Wood County Fairgrounds is packed with people for a few days each summer. The rest of the year, it’s pretty much a ghost town.
But the fair board has a plan to change that – building a $3.2 million year-round facility made to handle both smelly livestock shows and fancy catered dinners.
“We want to put the fairgrounds on the map for year-round use, rather than just six days,” Matt Hughes, of Fair Funding, said to the Wood County commissioners on Thursday.
Hughes said the acreage at the corner of West Poe and Haskins roads hosts about 125,000 visitors each year for the county fair. A few days after the fair, the grounds are flooded for the National Tractor Pulling Championships. Other than that, you can hear crickets chirping.
But to make the 46,000-square-foot building a reality, Hughes said donations are being sought from every possible source. And Thursday, he made a pitch to the county commissioners as one of those possible sources.
“Our hope is you folks would consider a partnership,” he said.
“A lot of your population has an interest in the fair,” Hughes said.
The fundraising has been going on now about 60 days, with approximately $750,000 secured so far, Hughes said. Those organizing the project are looking for one-time donations, annual contributions, in-kind materials or services and endowments.
Hughes told the commissioners the county fairs that are going to still exist in 20 years are those that think beyond the six days of the fair, and plan “beyond bake sales.” He said the commissioners’ help with construction or ongoing maintenance would be helpful.
The proposed multi-purpose building will have a dozen 24- by 16-foot garage doors, a catering kitchen, heating and air conditioning so it can be used year-round. The site will be rented out, and will be able to seat 2,000 for dining.
To make room of the new facility, the five buildings north of the Fine Arts Building will be torn down. Construction will take six to eight months to complete.
Commissioner Doris Herringshaw asked how the same site will be able to host both cattle and catered dinners. “What about the aroma in the air you might not want to have when you have a banquet,” she asked.
Hughes said all the garage doors will be open during livestock shows, allowing the odors to dissipate. The large doors “make the building so functional,” he said.
The garage doors will also allow big pieces of equipment, like farm combines or recreation vehicles, to be displayed in the building during winter events. The site could also be used for winter horse shows.
“The idea is to build it and get as many people in it as possible,” Hughes said.
Retired Wood County commissioner Jim Carter attended the meeting Thursday on the new fair building.
“I’m just excited,” Carter said. “The fairgrounds is the most underutilized piece of property in Bowling Green.”
Herringshaw agreed the new facility would draw people to the grounds during all seasons. “It certainly would make the fairgrounds usable all year-round,” she said.
And Commissioner Craig LaHote said the 2,000-seat capacity creates a lot of potential uses for the site.
“I think we can fill it up the first year it’s built,” Carter said.
The commissioners made no commitment to help pay for the new facility.
