BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) — A popular spot for amusement in the Twin Cities is getting some upgrades, thanks to the local farm bureau.
The McLean County Fair, which has been at the same location for 30 years this year, is receiving a $1 million investment from the McLean County Farm Bureau over the next three years.
Improvements to the fairgrounds, including maintenance and upgrades, are the focus of the investment.
“We’ve been at this location on the west side of the community for about 30 years, so there’s, as you can imagine, a number of needs that have come up over the years,” said Anna Ziegler, manager of the farm bureau. “This is the Farm Bureau renewing their commitment to keeping the fairgrounds strong and sustainable for the future.”
The money will be used to improve the HVAC system, along with repairing concrete and doing electrical work.
Improvements to the Mini Expo kitchen, which has housed exhibits like the Food & Farm Fun Zone, are also planned.
There will be large fans in the livestock barns, along with repairs to the beef and dairy barn and replacement of a third of the pens in the sheep and goat barn.
All of these improvements are planned to take place this year and are intended to continue keeping the experience enjoyable for everyone.
“This investment is going to allow us to do a lot of upgrades that we need to do to the facilities,” said Katie Rader, fair and events manager. “By doing these upgrades, that allows us to have a better experience for everybody.”
The festival was created by the Farm Bureau in 1932 with the establishment of the McLean County Fair Association. It puts on the largest 4-H county fair, according to officials.
Officials are taking public opinion into account for these upgrades with a community survey on their website.
The fair goes from July 29 to Aug. 2.
This story originated at WMBD TV. You can find the original story online at CIProud.com.
