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State Fair: Opening in Grand Island in 2010
Miguel Carbajal, of Hastings Masonry, levels a block during construction of part of the State Fair arena at Fonner Park Monday morning. Construction in swing with the concrete block walls, steel on site, and dirt work nearly completed. (The Independent/Scott Kingsley)
When it comes to Nebraska State Fair preparations in Grand Island, progress is being made.
“We’re going great guns, as you can see, on the construction,” said State Fair Coalition Coordinator Lisa Willman of the Grand Island Area Chamber of Commerce. “If you haven’t been out lately by Fonner to see the construction ” I think it’s a big WOW is what you’ll say.”
She spoke Tuesday morning to the Hall County Board of Supervisors and encouraged them to drive through Fonner Park to view the massive construction site up close, putting the size and scope of the buildings in perspective.
“You don’t realize how big those buildings are until you are actually out there,” Willman told the supervisors.
Despite a rainy October, construction is a little more than a week ahead of schedule, she said.
State Fair staff will move to Grand Island on Dec. 1 to work out of a rented office at 1043 S. Locust St. The State Fair itself will open at Fonner Park in August 2010.
Meanwhile, many local efforts are under way, including the continued raising of $1.5 million in private funds.
Although the private fundraising committee has already secured donations in excess of its $1 million need, Willman said, the committee is continuing to raise dollars in the event that there are any “unrealized pledges” and also to create a building maintenance endowment fund.
It will be years before the five new State Fair buildings need major maintenance dollars, but Willman said local supporters want to be ready.
There has already been major interest in the new buildings ” including queries from a national Angus group that has 2,000 exhibitors.
That number of exhibitors is sure to draw even more participants, Willman said.
“We have been getting a lot of questions ” not only about how to be a vendor at the State Fair, but groups wanting to come here outside of the State Fair and use those buildings,” she told county officials.
The possibility of promoting and using the buildings the other 11 months of the year when the State Fair is not going on “is huge,” Willman said.
“The buildings are one-of-a-kind. They are state-of-the-art,” Willman said. “Grand Island is going to be very, very well known for its facilities.”
The local coalition has a marketing/promotion committee in place and also a readiness committee.
The readiness committee is working on everything from providing seminars on good customer service to involving local groups to participate and gear up for the State Fair. The library is working on a State Fair-themed summer reading program, while Grand Island Little Theatre has been approached about staging a melodrama during the fair at Fonner Park.
Willman said one shortfall that has been noted is parking.
“We don’t have the parking at Fonner that Lincoln has,” she said. “Parking is going to be interesting.”
The answer will be in providing shuttle services to the fair. Hy-Vee and the Conestoga Mall have already committed to being shuttle stops. Central Community College, the south Wal-Mart and the former Sundance Feed and Seed on East Highway 30 are potential shuttle stops, Willman said.
While supervisors praised the efforts of the local coalition, Chief Deputy Hall County Attorney Jack Zitterkopf reminded everyone that there is still a pending lawsuit before the Nebraska Supreme Court questioning the legality of relocating the State Fair from Lincoln to Grand Island.
Zitterkopf said the briefs responding to the initial lawsuit are to be filed soon in Lincoln.
By Tracy Overstreet
tracy.overstreet(at)theindependent.com
Grand Island (NE) Independent
