The Lorain County Fair Board identified two major issues:

• That reliance on fair week revenue was unsustainable long term.
• Some buildings needed repair/replacement and other improvements needed to be made to ensure a spectacular fair and year-round events.

After discussion and interviews with community leaders and influencers, the Fair Board decided that planning a year-round facility that would serve the community, replacing current buildings and adding a covered arena, were needed. Plans are made, with associated costs, to build an Expo Center, a cattle barn, and a covered horse show arena, along with improved parking area. The Fairs Forever campaign was launched in Spring 2022. 

Fairs Forever, a transformational campaign to support Lorain County Fair, launched in spring 2022. The goal of Fairs Forever is to raise $12 million to:

1.  Build an Expo Center that is a year-round facility with the ability to host a variety of events.
2. Construct a covered outdoor arena along with an improved parking lot.
3. Replace Junior Fair beef buildings with a new beef barn.

Together, these three items will ensure the long-term viability of Lorain County Fair and its offerings.

Preliminary costs are $12 million to build a new Expo Center, replace the Junior Fair barns with a new barn, add a covered horse show arena, and make parking lot improvements.

The Expo Center will be a year-round facility, climate controlled, that can be configured into a variety of floor plans. It can house weddings as well as sports competitions, exhibit animals, or serve as a sale ring. This facility will also contain bathrooms, a kitchen, and other amenities.

The Expo Center has naming rights associated to anyone who is interested in making an investment in our community.

They will be replaced by a cattle barn, 80´ x 180´ (14,400 sq. ft.), with eaves and wash racks. The current facility needs repair and the new facility will be a great addition to the fair.

Yes, it will be a competition arena size that will be another addition to creating, not only a spectacular fair, but a year-round staging area for Expo Center events.

Donations can be made in any amount using cash, credit/debit cards, stock, qualified charitable distributions, pensions, family foundations, or other financial means. In-kind gifts focused on the construction project, in the form of discounts or free, can be considered by the Fair Board.

We are accepting pledges that can be paid over five years and can be paid quarterly, semi-annually, or annually.

Payments can be made in cash, credit/debit card, stock, or qualified charitable distributions. Some payments or pledges can be made in trade at the discretion of the Fair Board ( i.e., grain).

The pandemic certainly raised some financial issues but, when exploring what needed to be done to secure the financial future of the fairgrounds while maintaining the mission, it was determined that transitioning to a year-round use facility was a good idea. We looked at other organizations that have done that successfully and believed that, as the largest tourist attraction in Lorain County, it was in the community’s best interest to create a facility that could be used for a variety of events all year long.

While the Fair Board is ultimately responsible for the Fairs Forever Campaign, a committee was formed with members of the Fair Board and community members leading the campaign. The committee also includes a professional engineer. Together they are focusing on identifying, soliciting, and securing funds for this project.

Approximately $11.1 million has been raised from the Lorain County Agricultural Society (Fair Board), individuals, and the County Commissioners. Vendors, corporations, foundations, and other individuals will be approached to donate to this initiative.

Site preparation, including soil, utility, and surveying, is complete. Requests for Proposal (RFP) have been sent and reviewed. Janotta and Herner Inc. has been chosen to design and build the project. The building materials have been ordered and are scheduled to be delivered in the fall of 2024.

We currently have some opportunities to book once the center is built, but we will need to be creative in securing users and that will require hiring marketing staff that will reach out to potential exhibits, shows, competitions, and other users. We anticipate booking fees to cover any additional expenses and generate a new revenue stream.