Sinclair has pledged $25,000 towards the Event Center at the Muscatine County Fair.
Sinclair Tractor is going to sponsor the meeting room, which will be named for the business.
The meeting room will be a significant improvement over the current meeting spaces offered at the fairgrounds. It will better accommodate a growing board and volunteer network and provide supplemental meeting space for youth ag organizations.
“Agriculture and youth development are a priority of Sinclair Tractor.” Said Bob Sinclair.
Kelsey Meyers, Fair Manager, said supporting the youth and rural communities was a motivator for the gift.
“This is huge for the Event Center, as the current activity center does not have a smaller meeting room that the 4-H clubs can utilize,” said Meyers. “This gift will ensure kids have an option for their monthly meetings. This meeting room will have separate access from the large hall and will have its own restroom and tables and chairs.”
The Event Center will be able to host 500 people and Meyers expects a lot of use from 4-H Clubs and FFA Chapters in Muscatine County for fundraisers, conferences, and banquets.
The event center will give more visibility to the Muscatine County Ag programs, which already have a solid reputation in the region. The new facility will showcase the organizations in a professional and modern format.
“4-H & FFA enrollment numbers are growing when they’re shrinking in other markets,” said Meyers. “These clubs and organizations are out of room and have a hard time finding spaces to meet and hold events. This facility will be a great option for the kids and will hopefully attract larger youth ag conferences.”
In addition to year-round use, the event center will also be the location of 4-H & FFA Static Projects exhibited during the fair.
A larger, better lit space will allow for larger exhibits and a wider variety of demonstrations and educational programming during the fair.
“I cannot thank Sinclair enough for this gift,” said Meyers. “We do not currently have a meeting room for our fair board to have multiple committee meetings at one time, and this is something we have wanted for a long time. Sinclair has made it possible to support youth ag meetings, but to also increase the efficiency of our fair board committee meetings. We can finally provide meeting space and seating room for all board members during multiple meetings at once.”
The fair board finalized the architectural blueprints last week and the building was put to bid last week.
There are a variety of construction firms expected to bid on the project, which will give the board options in final contractor selection.
The bid process is expected to take 6-8 weeks, and a firm will be selected sometime mid-summer.
To donate to the project contact Kelsey Meyers at the Muscatine County Fair Office at 319-627-2414 or at muscatinecountyfair@gmail.com.