Fair board group eyes large indoor center

Proposal calls for razing of barns, show arena; building a destination facility

By DAN ROBINSON

Times staff writer

For 51 weeks of an average year, the Hardin County Fairgrounds sits idle. 

But if members of the fair board are successful with their plans that is about to change and the facility will be come a destination for state agricultural organizations, collector groups, a location during local emergencies and an economic asset to Kenton and Hardin County. 

Three members of a special committee appointed by the board to explore the razing of the existing livestock barns and show arena met with the Hardin County Commissioners on Thursday morning to share with them their plans for a large indoor center which would be used to house and show animals during fair week, but will be a hub of activity throughout the year. 

The need to replace the 1947 show arena and barns became apparent during last year’s auction, said Marketing and Communications Director Kolt Buchenroth. A large storm dumped several inches of rain on the grounds and fair directors were scurrying through the flooded lower area of the building where the computers are housed. 

Often, said Charlie McCullough, who serves as the chairman of the new building committee, the fair board offices are contacted by groups hoping to use the buildings at the fairgrounds for a large event. They ask what buildings have heat or air conditioning, said McCullough, and the options are limited to the community building, which is not big enough for their needs. 

The fair board established the committee to explore the options for the future of the livestock area. Its membership consists of half board members and half local members of the general public. 

The goal, said member Matt Jennings, has been to come up with a building which would be useful to the fair board, but also an asset to the community. The result of the discussions, he told the commissioners, is replacing the barns and arena with a 200 x 500 (100,000 square foot) multipurpose building with a seating capacity between 750 to 1,000 people. The developing plans would include restrooms, offices and hopes for a covered area on the side of the buildings for a “porch” effect. 

The plans at this point are skeletal, Jennings continued, but the committee was asking the commissioners to provide $30,000 to be paid to OHM Advisors to come up with a presentation to be shared with the public during this year’s county fair. 

The committee would seek grants, government contributions and funds from the private sector to pay for the demolition and construction of the new facility, said Jennings. What that price tag will be is expected to be a part of the OHM study, said McCullough. 

The public should feel free to discuss suggestions for the building with the “red shirts’ (directors) during the upcoming fair, Jennings said. 

“This is an exciting process to think about what this building could be used for more than it is now,” he added. 

The fair board, said Jennings, is aware of the iconic status the show arena has within the community. It has been the source of memories for several generations of exhibitors, he told the commissioners.

“It is like a rite of passage to lean on the rail and watch the judgings,” he said. 

But, said Buchenroth, the proposal to keep the ring or the rounded roof appears to drive the price tag for the building up considerably. 

“We want to pay homage to the building and stay in our budget and that may be a challenge,” he said. 

Some agricultural organizations have expressed interest in the new building, Buchenroth continued, but the uses will not be limited to agriculture. 

“We want to be able to use it for anything,” he said. 

The designing of the building will begin after this year’s fair and once the doors are closed on the 2022 Hardin County Fair, the demolition of the buildings will begin, according to the current schedule. The new facility is expected to be used in the 2023 edition of the fair. 

The commissioners encouraged the development of the new building and approved the $30,000 for the study. 

“This has great potential to bring events to the fairgrounds in the future,” said Commissioner Fred Rush. “It should get more people from outside the area to come here … The fair is a great place to spread the word.”

“I lived next door to the fairgrounds for 29 years,” said Commissioner Tim Striker, “and I often wondered why it set empty for most of the year. It should be utilized more to benefit the whole county.”

Commissioner Roger Crowe told the committee members the commissioners are happy to “get the ball rolling” on the project.

“If we build it, they will come,” said McCullough, paraphrasing the movie “Field of Dreams.”