CELINA, OH (WLIO) - The Mercer County Fairgrounds is showing off the 1st phase of their big addition project.
The fairgrounds invited donors and stakeholders to sign the beams of the new Market Hall. When it is finished this spring, the building will be able host events with up to 700 guests. Phase 2 will be the 100,000 square foot Grand Event Center, which will be located next to Market Hall. The event center project is in the fund-raising phase, but when it is complete it could feature events like indoor tractor pulls, concerts and large trade shows. Mercer County started this ambitious project because people were calling about using the fairgrounds for events, but they unfortunately didn’t have the space to accommodate them.
“They like the region, they like what we had to offer, you know, summertime we have the lake. There is a lot of wonderful things in this area, and we were falling short on what we could provide to them,” says Cara Muhlenkamp, Mercer County Fair Manager. “And we just really felt like there was a need that we were not fulfilling and start the ball rolling with conversations and talking about things and here we are.”
Over 30 donors helped make Phase 1 a reality, and the State of Ohio also awarded the fairgrounds a half a million dollars to the project.
“There is no other facility quite like this, it’s very unique, very diverse,” says State Rep. Angela King. Ohio’s 84th House District. “Ag, meetings, it’s a great project for the community.”
“I always think that it’s so important as a State Representative to bring taxpayer dollars back to the district and that’s exactly what we have done here with the Mercer County Fairgrounds,” adds State Rep. Susan Manchester, 78th Ohio House District. “It’s going to be a tremendous asset to the Mercer County community and beyond.”
If you would be interested in donating to the next phase of the project, information can be found on the Mercer County Fair website.
