(By MATT PIKE)
Work is coming along on the Buchanan County Fairgrounds, but even while work is happening, so are events within the old East Buchanan Middle School
Buchanan County Presiding Commissioner Scott Nelson says even while construction on the arena is happening, things are happening in the school building that is nos turned into an event space
"We’re not waiting for the first cow to come in with a 4H judge to judge it and things like that, that’s not our go time, that can’t happen until the arena is done,” Nelson says on the KFEQmunnity show. “But prior to that, the event space we had a concert, and we have a wedding reception, things like that.”
Nelson says even a summer camp has asked to utilize the space for activities for its kids within the space around the facility.
This past Saturday the event space within the old middle school in Easton got its first trial run with a concert held by Bea and the Boys
“They were hoping to get 80 people out there, and we had no idea but we had the place set up, we had a bunch of volunteers and it wasn’t just volunteers from the school board, there were volunteers from the community that came out and helped that are behind this project as an idea in and of itself,” Nelson explains. “And they ended up with I think 170 people out there that night, and it was full and they were having a good time.”
Nelson says the event was well attended by community members, and he heard mass support for the project.
There are other events that are already scheduled even during construction of the arena. You can visit the Buchanan County Fairgrounds Facebook page for more information.
Despite the cold winter weather, construction is continuing at the Buchanan County Fairgrounds, and things are still on track.
Nelson says now with the beams of the building up and going
“They have the walls and insulation up at least on the west wall, probably on the south wall if not all of it, and they’ve continued on around,” Nelson says. “I’m going to say the whole wall up on the south is probably up, the whole wall on the west is up and insulated.”
Nelson says once the walls are up and the exterior work is completed the roof should be the next step to go on, keeping them on track to be done with that phase this year.
Nelson says once the first phase is complete, then it is on to work on getting the correct dirt inside the arena as well as pens and water to make it functional for showing animals.
(You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.)