BUCYRUS – Two new buildings will add new vitality to the Crawford County Fairgrounds. A new horse barn is nearly complete and the second building will house the Senior Fair, OSU Extension, and the 4-H food booth.
The horse barn, near the grandstand, was made possible through funds from the Crawford County Commissioners’ General Fund and fundraising activities by the fair board.
“We tore down an old horse barn that was in bad shape, and this is what is replacing it,” said Fair Board President Roger Auck.
The new barn has 19 stalls and four offices. All that remained to be done, as of last week, was to blacktop the center aisle. The stalls will be rented for harness racehorses.
The other new building is just recently under construction and is located near the current fair board office. The hope is that it will be completed for the 2023 Crawford County Fair.
The current office, Secretary/Manager Rebecca Miller explained, was never intended as a permanent structure; but it has served the fair board for many years.
The new community building estimated cost, which has been secured, is $1,514,400. According to the Crawford County Commissioners, funding sources include federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a State Capital grant, local Community Foundation grant, and the county commissioners’ general fund.
The building will need additional funding for kitchen equipment, office furniture, and landscaping.
In addition to funds from the Crawford County Commissioners, ARPA funds and a $330,000 Ohio Department of Agriculture Grant, Vice President Greg Lutz said the board has had fundraisers including a gun raffle and an ATV raffle. They also received individual donations and continue to welcome donations, which can be made at the fair office or to the Crawford County Community Foundation.
The youth building currently is the only building with air conditioning; the new building will also be air-conditioned and will be available for 4-H club meetings and public rentals.
The building will accommodate 130 seats or 75 seats with tables and will have a porch on three sides. Centrally located, it offers several improved features for the fair and replaces the 20-year-old modular building that houses the fair office. That building, near the gazebo, will be razed.
