Merchant’s Building Remodeled, Renamed Youth & Ag Center

The start of the 2024 Hardin County Fair is less than a month away.

One of the changes on the fairgrounds this year will be in the Merchant’s and Machinery Buildings.

Marketing and Communications Director Kolt Buchenroth calls it a rearrangement of space, “The long story short is the pieces we’ve been familiar with like the crops and vegetables, the FFA exhibits, those pieces that were always in the Machinery Building, the Junior Fair Building, we’re basically flip flopping that, so a lot of those booths in the Merchant’s Building join the Machinery Building. Those exhibits I talked about, high school art, things like that, will go to what we’re renaming the Youth and Ag Center.”

The Hardin County Fair is set to run from September 3 through the 8 and for the complete discussion with Buchenroth, along with Junior Fair Board Treasurer Jozie Winegarder, tune in Public Eye Saturday morning at 7:30 and Sunday at noon on WKTN.

Here is the complete release from the Fair Board:

Regular fairgoers will notice that vendors have new spots this coming year. What has been known for years as the Merchant’s Building will be renamed the Youth & Ag Center.

While a select few vendors will remain in the center, the majority will be found in the Machinery Building, inhabiting the space previously occupied by vegetables, High School Art, and FFA projects, extending the existing footprint of the Machinery Building.

“This is really an effort to give our youth organizations more space to showcase their hard work,” said Brad Murphy, President of the Hardin County Fair Board and Concessions Chairman. “Meanwhile, our vendor-partners were eager to move to a new location and continue to engage with the community with increased foot traffic.”

4-H Booths will remain in their traditional location.