COVID-19 funding grant given to Lawrence County, Ohio Fair board

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PROCTORVILLE, Ohio (WSAZ) – This summer, 4-H’ers and their livestock will return to the fairgrounds in Proctorville with one big item checked off their list.

The Lawrence County Commission has given the Lawrence County Fair board a grant of $175,000 from its federal COVID-19 funding to get their show barn, built 10 years ago, paid off three years in advance.

In return, for the next three years, the fairgrounds will be made available for a variety of events with no charge so people can practice social distancing more easily.

Plus, if there’s another situation like the COVID-19 shutdown, the fairgrounds facilities and space will be made available for county agencies and groups.

“Not knowing how long this is going to last and with the need for the spacing, they had the money available, so in order to use the money and keep it here in the county, they came up with a grant for us to be able to do that,” fair board President Randall Lambert said.

Lambert says some of the upcoming activities planned at the fairgrounds include Easter egg hunts, senior citizen days, and a foodbank.

“County commissioners needed a place for these groups and activities to be held where people can have a lot of room and spacing,” Lambert said. “It’s always been our goal for the fairgrounds to be something beneficial for the public, so together we were able to make this available, and they were able to use the money for COVID for this.”

Brea Belville, a Symmes Valley senior and the Lawrence County Junior Fair board president, says it’s a big relief to no longer have to worry about trying to raise money from community members to get the barn paid off.

“It’s really beneficial to us,” Belville said. “We don’t have to worry about monetary donations to be given. We have the confidence that it’s paid off.”

The fairgrounds are scheduled to host a mobile food distribution event by the Facing Hunger Foodbank from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, April 8.

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