5/8/13 Fairgrounds at Harvest Ridge goes into excavation phase

  • By Nick Sabo
  • May 8, 2013
  • 314
                        
The fairgrounds at Harvest Ridge is moving into the excavation phase, shaping the rolling terrain of the old Shreiner Farm for its new life as a multipurpose events facility. Some 600,000 cubic yards of dirt will be moved as Harvest Ridge takes shape, laying the footprint for animal barns, a grandstand, exposition center, sale barn and horse arena. The lay of the land will be worked to make way for parking and overnight RV camping. At the center of Harvest Ridge is the restored Shreiner barn, a 100 year old structure that sits adjacent to the William T. Baker Family Building built last year. The detailed restoration included fixing the barn’s twin cupolas, a feature that is to be emulated on all future buildings. The finished barn and the farm’s topography are emblematic of Holmes County’s agricultural history. Farmers who settled the area took on the rugged foothills of the Appalachian Mountains and farm life follows those same hills today. Then as today, the barn stands at the center of the farm. The Baker Building and barn are the first of what will be many structures that will make up the finished fairgrounds. Together, the two buildings measure more than 12,000 square feet, the first permanent structures of an estimated 149,000 square feet once all the animal barns and the expo center are constructed. Before those buildings can go in, however, the land must be shaped to accommodate their construction. That work is scheduled for this year. The fairgrounds relocation is on a tight schedule, with the first fair to be held at Harvest Ridge in 2015. What that fair will look like remains to be seen. The total project for Harvest Ridge is estimated at $10 million. To put on a fair in temporary structures with project judging and the annual livestock sale, food vendors and entertainment, will cost around $5 million. As things stand now, the 2015 fair will likely be held in tents placed over the building footprints. The roads and paths may be gravel, rather than blacktop. Holmes County Fairboard President Kerry Taylor said the project has already taken years of hard work and will take many more. Along with local donations, the fair board has received grants, the most important of which allowed for purchase of the Shreiner property, and they will continue to seek them. The project thus far has been guided by much hard work and the generosity of the community. The Baker building was built with a donation from local businessman Bill Baker. The barn restoration was made possible by a donation from Arlie and Evelyn Rodhe. Looking back at what has been accomplished so far, Taylor knows that the final vision of the finished fairgrounds will become reality. “Over the eight years of this project, to get to the point the fairboard is at today, there have been many leaps of faith,” Taylor said. “In our journey to relocate the fair, it continues to require leaps of faith. With the support of the community that we have seen in the past, we will continue to do so until the project is complete.”


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load