Officials who run the Clay County Fair in Spencer have unveiled plans to upgrade fairground facilities in time for the fair’s 100th anniversary.
Just over 334,000 people attended the 2013 Clay County Fair during its nine-day run in September. That’s the largest attendance in the Fair’s 96-year history. Fair Manager Jeremy Parson says the fairgrounds is now spread over 222 acres and their “Centennial Vision” addresses key infrastructure.
“We want the Clay County Fairgrounds to be the best home it can be for the Clay County Fair for not only our centennial, but for the next 100 years,” Parson says.
One of the priority projects is the redesign of the north entrance.
“Most people come across the street from the north to enter the fairgrounds and we just really want to make that a grand entrance befitting ‘the world’s greatest county fair,'” Parson says. “We’re also looking at constructing a new exhibit building to the east end of the grandstand and then finally perhaps putting a roof over our outdoor arena to allow us more flexibility mainly for off-season horse shows more than anything.”
About $34,000 was spent this year on capital improvements of the fairgrounds in Spencer, but the “Centennial Vision” plan calls for a private fundraising drive to come up with a “multi-million dollar” investment in the Clay County Fairgrounds over the next few years. The fair ranks among the top 100 fairs in the country for attendance. The Texas State Fair, with over three million visitors, ranks as the number one fair in the country. The Iowa State Fair is in 14th place, with just over a million visitors.
(Reporting by Ryan Long, KICD, Spencer)