March 28, 2024

New at the fairgrounds

Attendees to this year’s Clarke County Fair will notice one big difference right away. Thanks to a matching grant from the Clarke County Development Corporation, the Fair Board was able to build a structure for showing small animals.

“We’ve used tents in the past,” said Fair Board Treasurer Paula Hein. “The numbers are growing so they need a new building of their own.”

Exhibits will include rabbits and poultry. Chickens were banned two years ago because of avian flu concerns, but they were back in full force last year with 58 entries. The open-air building cost $54,000 to construct. While the board holds a soup supper each year to help with the costs of the fair, those funds weren’t used to help with construction.

“We belong to the association of fairs,” said Hein. “By following their guidelines we get funding to help with the improvement of infrastructure.”

The rest came from a grant through the CCDC.