Pike County Fair Board tries to clear up misinformation while waiting on legal opinion
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By BETH ZUMWALT
Mike McKinnon, president of the Pike County Fair Board, says there is lots of misinformation going around about the board’s request to remove three of the fairgrounds livestock barns, leaving three intact.
The Pleasant Hill Village Board owns the fairgrounds and no one is sure if the fair board has the authority to tear the barns down. A group of fair board members attended the March 15 meeting of the village board and asked the board to consider removing the barns. Two other people attended with a petition signed by nearly 30 individuals wanting the barns to stay.
“The barns haven’t been used in several years,” McKinnon said. “The 4-H shows have been moved to Griggsville to the Western Illinois Fair Grounds and I’ve talked to the lady at the state level. She says there is no chance the livestock shows will come back to Pleasant Hill.”
Last year the Pleasant Hill Fair offered some open shows and had nine entries in the sheep and goat division, most all from the same family. Cattle was only slightly better with 13 cattle, again only a few families showing.”
McKinnon said it is not a matter of just wanting to eliminate 4-H Livestock shows, but, of economics.
“With the few livestock entries we had last year, we made $1,150. The one demolition derby we had during the fair, brought in $32,000. Both totals were before expenses were taken out.”
According to McKinnon, in years past the fair has accumulated some debt and fortunately the bankers have been willing to work with the board.
“But, we need money in big chunks, not just nickels and dimes,” he said.
The plan is to tear down and sell for salvage the three barns on the south end of the fairgrounds, nearest the railroad tracks. Of the three remaining buildings, one will be used exclusively by Mounted Angels, a therapeutic horseback riding program for children. The fair board will move the beer garden to the second building and the third building will be used for storage.
“We are not going to bulldoze the three other buildings down, they will be dismantled and moved,” McKinnon said. “We will use that area for parking. Now we are having people park on both sides of the street for several blocks on derby nights.”
The fair board has retained the services of a national demolition derby promoter and are expecting bigger crowds at the 2022 spring, summer and fall derbies, making parking and pit areas even more of a premium.
Opponents to the demolition of the buildings say the buildings hold lots of memories and traditions for local youth, saying the barns have been the site of showing animals for three and four generations.
The Pleasant Hill Village Board has a contract with the Fair Board, but is awaiting a legal opinion for the village attorney before making a decision.
It is hoped a decision will be available by the village board’s April 18 meeting.
