The Greene County Fair Board has a busy summer coming up with a couple of different projects, and one of those will be something that anyone can take advantage of. 

Fair Board Vice President Katlynn Mechaelsen says they received a $6,000 Greene County Community Foundation grant to offset some of the cost to install a concrete backdrop for photo opportunities at the Greene County Fairgrounds. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio the local support has surpassed what she had envisioned for the project, raising over $30,000. She explains that it has been something several people have wanted for years and the amount of impact that having this backdrop will have goes beyond the fairgrounds, will equate to the overall price of what the fair board wants to do.

“We’re going to be able to take pictures with your livestock (and) post them on social media. And the amount of people that those social media posts reach will pay for this. The local and small exhibitors, the kids wanted this so bad, and I just keep going back to that. We’re an association to provide the facilities for the exhibitors and the youth. And this is something that the youth has been requesting for years. So, to be able to see it through and to be able to make it happen, it fills my cup.”    

Mechaelsen points out that the location of the backdrop is slated to be south of the show ring as she talks about why the Fair Board wanted to put it there.

“We wanted to try and put it somewhere people could really see it, but because of the livestock and because that’s what this is for, we needed it in an area that was gated, in case something would happen. So it will be located just south of the show ring and you can enter either from the show ring, or you can enter from the cattle barn, hog barn, (or) sheep barn, I mean there’s plenty of places to be able to view it and to take your livestock. We’re just really excited about it.” 

Mechaelsen is hoping to have the new backdrop in place by this year’s Greene County Fair.