Canfield Fair announces capital campaign

By Kalea Hall

khall@vindy.com

CANFIELD

It may be 171 years old, but the Canfield Fair is not outdated.

In fact, for its 172nd year in 2018, the fair will show off a new, 45,000-square-foot building for its Junior Fair.

“The Junior Fair has been crowded for a number of years,” said Ward Campbell, fair board director who oversees the Junior Fair.

To build the show arena/event center and ancillary buildings and barns, the Canfield Fair Foundation has launched its first capital campaign to raise $4.5 million for the project. A half-million dollars of that amount will be set aside for infrastructure improvements.

To start the fundraising effort, the Canfield Fair Board of Directors pledged $400,000 to the project.

A little more than $600,000 has been collected thus far, including the $400,000 from the board.

The capital campaign is being led by the fair board directors and Matthew Hughes of Fair Funding LLC.

“Our Junior Fair has really grown out of its house,” said Andy Frost, Canfield Fair board president.

Over the past few years, the number of Junior Fair participants has increased. Today, there are between 800 and 1,200 involved in Junior Fair. Junior Fair includes all 4-H clubs.

“The Junior Fair teaches a lot of disciplines and responsibilities to raise all animals from pocket pets to steers,” said Dave Dickey, vice president of the Canfield Fair Board.

The new buildings will be located where the antique tractors, Old McDonald’s Barn and open sheep and goat barns currently are in the fairground’s southeast section. Those fair features will be relocated to where the Junior Fair is in the northeast section.

The move will bring all Junior Fair participants closer together. The dairy and beef breeders in Junior Fair already were relocated to the southeast end because of the loss of space at the northeast end.

“It was kind of a challenge for those who showed hogs and dairy,” Campbell said. “It will be a huge advantage.”

The Junior Fair participants already have been told about the new addition.

“I had parents walk up with their checkbooks,” said Bob Jarvis, fair board director who also oversees the Junior Fair.

The coliseum building also will be used throughout the year for other events hosted at the fairgrounds.

Naming rights for the coliseum/event center and other buildings will be offered.

For information on the capital campaign, go to: canfieldfair.com/capital-campaign/.