WOOSTER, Ohio — The Wayne County Junior Fair program has seen significant growth over the past 20 years.
So much so, that the Wayne County Fair board is moving forward with plans to construct two new livestock facilities on the south side of the Wayne County Fairgrounds by 2019 — a $1.25 million project.
A 24,000-square-foot steel building will be home to a new show arena and a 12,000-square-foot pole barn will serve as a livestock barn, said Matt Martin, Wayne County Fair secretary.
The current goat, poultry and rabbit barns, the Carter Show Arena and the pavilion will either be relocated or removed to make way for the new structures, he said.
Junior fair growth
Doug Foxx, Wayne County Extension 4-H educator, said a big reason for the new building project is the growth of the junior fair program.
“The last few years we have been up, on average, 400 plus animals, compared to our total in the mid-1990s,” said Foxx.
Martin said the growth in the county 4-H program has caused some housing issues, particularly for small animals. This past fair season, a tent was used to hold overflow goats.
The increased number of livestock also triggered longer show times, with children waiting until almost midnight to get into the show ring, he explained.
Foxx also said that, for decades, the fair’s show arena has been too small to accommodate the many spectators at the livestock shows and sales.
“A big goal of the new show arena is to have much more seating capacity than our existing show arenas.”
Fundraising
The fair board has pledged $250,000 to jumpstart the project and Martin said each member of the 21-member fair board has personally donated to the project as well.
The rest of the funds will be sought from donations from the community, local businesses, foundations and other county fair supporters.
Next steps
The fair board hired Architect David Krebs to draw up plans that will be presented during the next fair board meeting. From there, the project will be put out for bid.
Martin said the goal is to begin construction of the new buildings following the 2018 fair and have them ready for the 2019 fair.
“I think it’s exciting times here,” said Martin.
The last major construction project on the grounds was the completion of the horse complex in the early 2000s.
